


The Cowboy of Hanamura

by Odds_Evens



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: A/B/O, Alpha Genji, Alpha Jack, Alpha Jesse, M/M, Omega Gabriel, Tags TBA, Young Genji Shimada, Young Hanzo Shimada, Young Jesse McCree, mentions of mpreg, omega hanzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-24 06:06:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9706385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odds_Evens/pseuds/Odds_Evens
Summary: Jesse McCree, 19 years old, Alpha, Blackwatch operative. Despite traveling to Japan with his bosses, infiltrating the Shimada Clan will be a solo job… a dangerous one, and one without backup while his bosses and co-operatives look for a God Program. If his bad luck doesn’t kill him first then one of the Shimadas just might.Hanzo Shimada, 20 years old, Omega, heir of the Shimada Empire. Returning home from school in the summer isn't supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation for him. A time of freedom, even if he has to stay locked away behind stone walls for it. A strange face in his house makes those walls seem like a prison for the first time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sections posted daily on my tumblr before being crossposted onto here when the chapter is complete.

“I’m keeping the hat.” Jesse growls, both hands pinning his Stetson to his scalp as Jack Morrison takes a step toward him.

  
The older alpha narrows his eyes at the 19 year old, ready for a fight. “Jesse-”

“No.”

“You look ridiculous-”

“Look whose talking!”

“Boy-”

Morrison takes another step closer and Jesse lunges, sliding between Morrison’s legs and toward the other side of the ship, where Gabriel and Ana sit in stitches. Jesse practically glues himself to Ana’s side, sticking his tongue out at Morrison when Ana pulls him into a hug.

“Oh let the boy be, Jack.”

“It’s unprofessional!”

Gabriel scoffs, leaning back in his seat with a smirk. “Says the man who wears a fucking cape into battle.”

Jack falls silent, shooting another glare at Jessie like its all his fault (it is). “Fine. But when we greet the Shimadas that hat is hitting the ground and staying there.”

Jessie gives him a smirk that says that isn’t going to happen.

Jack turns his glare onto Gabriel instead. Giving him a look that says: This is all your doing. You’re too soft on him!  
Gabriel laughs, failing to take Jack’s look seriously. “Come on, he’s supposed to be a distraction anyway. So let him distract!”

Jack’s jaw sets into a grind as he relents. “Let’s just go over the plan once more. Make sure everyone knows their role.”

This at least makes Gabriel fall serious. He takes a data pad out of his bag, flicking it on and pulling up a hologram of a news clipping. It shows a decimated Japanese town, where lasers have burned lines into the buildings. “Despite the lack of any real god program activity this year, this city was destroyed in a similar fashion to the ones in South America six years ago. The attack happened in the middle of the day, with one witness leaving the city at ten a.m. only to return at two in the afternoon to the carnage. She saw nothing, but there were a handful of omnic bodies found in the city that none of the locals could recognize. This happened three months ago.”

Jesse looks at his boss in confusion. “Wait. I thought you said the hit happened last night?”

“A second town was hit in a similar fashion last night.” Jack explains. “The Japanese government tried burying the story, but our contact wasn’t too pleased with that.”

The hologram switches to a photo of a serious looking Japanese man in full regalia. His long black hair has been pulled up into a high ponytail, beard perfectly manicured. His eyes seem to burn from the photo, judging those looking at him. Its still nothing to the look of disgust on Gabriel’s face as he speaks. “This is Giro Shimada, the current leader of the Shimada-Gumi. He somehow got Jack’s private line and called him to ask for our assistance in stopping these attacks, be they a god program or something else. He’s offered us his home as a base of operations which gives us the perfect opportunity to do some Blackwatch work on the side.”

Jesse’s face brightens at the mention of his team. “That’s where I come in, right jefe?”

“That’s right.” Gabriel confirms. He switches the photo to another news clipping, this time of a dozen bodies found washed up in a river, fingers cut off and signs of torture in each one. “The Shimada-Gumi are what I like to call a special snowflake. Giro Shimada is the Mayor of Hanamura and well loved by all the cities surrounding his base. He’s untouchable by the government, and attempts at assassinating him always end in Giro protecting himself with something that might be supernatural or magical. We’ve never managed to get an agent in close enough to get some real intel on the family, but you, kid, might just be our saving grace.”

Jesse perks up again at the hologram switches to a photo of two teenage boys dressed in tuxedos. The taller one has a younger face and bright green hair. He’s looking down at his phone while the second teen stands at attention, arms relaxed at his side. He looks like a younger version of Giro Shimada, but with a softer face. “See, Shimada has two kids just about your age, and they’re both staying at the estate during the summer break.”

Jesse’s eyes go wide as he looks at his boss. “My cover suddenly makes so much sense.”

Jack perks up at that. “Cover? Gabe, we didn’t talk about giving Jesse a cover.”

Gabriel grins, bringing up a new image on his holo-pad. A picture of a birth certificate. Jesse’s certificate. Jesse Reyes-Morrison. “It was Ana’s idea.”

Jack turns on Ana as she cackles with laughter. “Ana! Gabriel, no, this is stupid!”

“It’s the perfect cover!” Ana insists. “Giro would be suspicious of an agent spending time with his children. But if he thinks Jesse if your son, the son you take with you on long missions to keep your family together, he will think nothing of it. He might just give him more freedom then he’d have otherwise!”

“Sides Jackie…” Gabriel teases, standing and closing the distance between them. “It’s been years since we last had to pretend to be in a relationship, and these assholes are so old fashioned. Would you really leave a poor, single, helpless Omega by themselves in a place like that?”

Jack’s glare stops Gabriel in his tracks. “Okay first of all, the idea of you being helpless is actually hilarious. Second, neither of us have mating marks. Third, Jesse looks nothing like me. Fourth-”

“My cover story says you and Gabe met after he was already pregnant with me.” Jesse offers, a shit eating grin on his face.

“You separated when I was five, but had to reunite in the SEP. While you guys were fighting, I stayed in Santa Fe with jefe’s mom- I mean, my abuela. I started mixing with the wrong crowd while in high school and now papi wants me to stay close to keep an eye on me. You and I, dad, don’t have the best relationship, but I want to fix it.”

“See?” Gabriel holds a finger to Jack’s lips, purposely moving into his personal bubble. “You’re shit at this black ops stuff. Let the pros handle it.”

Jack pulls away quickly. “If Giro decides to shoot McCree in the face, I’m going to let him.”

“That’s fair.” Gabriel agrees.

Both ignore Jesse’s distressed squeak.

\---

“Anija. Let me in, please.”

Hanzo pointedly ignores the green haired man hanging upside down form the roof to peek into his room.

“Anija. Anija, the window.”

Hanzo sighs audibly, rolling his eyes and turning his back to the window. Instead, he faces his dresser where a line of pill bottles sit staring at him. They’re all labelled, but by now he has them all memorized. He picks the last one up and pockets it, just in case he needs it while away from his room. He knows no one on his family’s staff would dare touch him, and his father’s new guests likely know how to behave themselves around-

A soft crash and tumble pull him from his thoughts, only to see a guilty Genji holding the cracked sill of his window a few inches from the ground. “Uhm… that wasn’t my fault.”

“Genji, you broke my window.” His voice isn’t angry or even surprised. Genji’s done this at least a half dozen times since his last growth spurt.

“Well, you didn’t help me open it after it jammed!”

“You could always use the door like a civilized person.”

Genji snorts, placing the broken window against the wall. “Nah. That takes too long. Faster to just go through the window.”

“At least tell me you will use the door when we go to greet our new guests at dinner.”

Genji grins, making Hanzo put a hand up in warning. “Genji-”

“Just a little surprise to liven things up, you know?”

“Genji you are eighteen years old. Stop acting like such a child!”

“Nah, that sounds boring.” He pulls Hanzo into a one sided hug in order to lead him out the door only to stop and cough. He wrinkles his nose and steps away. “Ugh. You smell gross!”

Almost instantly, Hanzo’s face flushes brilliantly. “I-its the pills! They haven’t made their way out of my system yet!”  
Genji fake gags again, pretending to dry-heave into Hanzo’s laundry basket before the other man realizes he’s being made fun of. “You are the worst.”

“I just don’t get why you have to pretend to be something you aren’t. Isn’t Tokyo supposed to be all progressive?”

Hanzo falls silent at that. For the past few years he’d been spending the majority of his year in Tokyo at University, studying Business and mathematics. The city was large and progressive, but Hanzo was still a male omega. His father had only allowed him to live in the city if he took suppressors to hide his scent and live with an alpha bodyguard. The suppressors left him moody, distracted and muted, so Hanzo took every opportunity to live life off of them. Most of the time, he arrived home having already rid his system of the god-awful medication, but his final exam of the semester had been delayed.

“Nowhere is perfect.” Hanzo says instead, ruffling his taller brother’s messy hair. “For example, my beautiful and peaceful home has a walking, talking carrot in it.”

“You are the worst-”

“I brought you your favourite strawberry cake from that little bakery by my apartment.”

“I mean the best. You are the best brother in the entire world.”

“Behave yourself at dinner and perhaps we can sneak in a second desert later.”

“Yes!”

Hanzo smiles softly, something so small only Genji would recognize it for what it was. It was good to be home.

\---

The row of elderly men along one end of the table put Jesse on edge the moment he entered the large dining room. They sit like statues, none of them standing to greet their guests, most of them not so much as giving them the time of day as a Morrison tries to start a conversation. Giro Shimada sits at the very end of the table, next to Morrison. He, at least, had greeted them at the front gates of the property, leading them along a quick tour of the estate before leading them into the dining room, ensuring an extra space was added for Jesse along Reyes’ other side.

Two more seats lay unoccupied right across from him and Reyes, but Jesse doesn’t spend too much time figure that out. Of the six elders sitting at the table, not one has given Jesse more then a cursory glance, but all of them have their steely eyes studying the men at his side. One looked at Reyes and Morrison with pure hatred, another with disgust. Jesse made a mental note of all his observations for his first report.

Finally, the entrance to the dining room opens again, two young men stepping inside. Jesse recognizes the green hair of the younger Shimada heir immediately, and to his right…

Photographs do Hanzo Shimada no justice. His long black hair is pulled back into a loose, low ponytail, bangs shimmering as they frame his angular face perfectly. His face was practically hairless, leaving nothing to hide the small flush that spreads along his cheeks from the sudden attention of the room. His skin is white as stone and just as unmarred from what Jesse could see above the high neckline of his ornate blue Kimono.

“Oh wow…”

Reyes elbows him out of his daze. He quickly closes his mouth, tipping his hat down over his face to cover the flush. Fortunately, no one seems to notice his whisper, all eyes on the new additions as they made their way over to the empty seats.

“As you have brought your son to me, I now introduce my sons to you.” Giro smiles, gesturing to the newcomers.

Hanzo bows low as he reaches his seat, first to Morrison and then to Reyes, and Amari. “Shimada Hanzo. At your service. It is an honour to meet the heroes of Overwatch.” He lifts his face, eyes catching Jesse’s for only a second before moving on. For Jesse, the world stops. He misses Genji’s introduction completely, but judging by the frown on Giro’s face and the giggle on Amari’s lips, it was unique.

Morrison gives Genji the faintest of smiles before taking Reyes’ hand, looking at him with fondness like a lover would. “Looks like our Jesse had a kindred spirit all the way out here.”

“Hey!” Jesse pouts, playing up the part of the annoyed son. “I have never done anything wrong in my life! Ever!”

Genji grins at him from across the table. “That’s what I keep telling them too! I suppose that is what happens when you are perfect. People become jealous of us.”

Jesse likes this one.

Giro wastes no time. “Genji, perhaps you can show Reyes-Morrison san around the city tomorrow.”

The room stiffens for a moment before Genji smiles at his father. “He can come with Hanzo and I on our walk.”

One of the elders says something low in japanese. Hanzo stiffens slightly, eyes darting up to Jesse before darting back down to the plate in front of him. If Jesse hadn’t been staring directly at him, he would have missed it. No one misses Genji’s frown, but before he can open his mouth, Giro interrupts him, eyes on Jesse and his ‘fathers’ instead.

“I’m afraid that as my heir, Hanzo has other duties to attend to. Perhaps another time. For now, let us enjoy our meal.”

Jesse isn’t quite sure what happened, but he knows the mood in the room has shifted to something unpleasant and tense. Genji’s friendliness has disappeared completely, his glare broken only once Hanzo nudges him, pulling at his attention. He says something to placate him in a soft voice, too soft for Jesse to hear. It doesn’t seem to do anything to Genji’s mood, and instead Jesse finds himself at the mercy of the younger Shimada’s glare instead.

He doesn’t know what he did, but it was obviously something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse learns a bit of their intel on the Shimada brothers is horribly wrong.

The following morning, Jesse found the younger Shimada by complete accident while looking for a place to smoke. Genji was leaning against a stone wall, a hand held beeping away quietly as he played. A thin cigarette sits smoking in his right hand, Genji pulling it to his lips every so often almost absentmindedly.

"Hey! Shimada-san!"

Genji's eyes flittered up to him for only a second before his game had his attention again. Jesse made a face, but continued on, leaning up against the wall next to him. "What'cha playing?"

"A game."

"Cool."

They sit in silence for a long moment before the smell of the smoke gets to Jesse. He pulls a thin cigarette from his half empty carton, and grabs his lighter.

"Do not smoke here."

He nearly drops the lighter in surprise, before shooting Genji a curious look. The younger boy isn't looking at him, slowly taking a drag from his own cigarette. "But you-"

"I am allowed to. You are not."

Jesse takes a deep breath, counting to ten slowly like Ana taught him. If Genji were anyone else, he'd be getting a lesson through violence right about now. But no, he was a target. You had to be nice to targets. Let them get away with murder (If necessary, even help them hide the body).

"Okay." He says after a moment. "I get that you're pissed something royal at me. Mind letting me in on what I did so I can make it right?"

Genji laughs at that, tossing his cigarette onto the ground and grinding it out with his foot. "If you want to make things right, you will convince your fathers to stay in a hotel far from here."

"The way I heard it, it was your daddy offered us his home."

"And yet my brother is the one who has to pay the price. Like always."

That gets Jesse's attention. "What? Why?"

Something flickers on Genji's face before the younger man is standing in Jesse's personal space. "Its bad enough Hanzo has to hide who he is when he's at school. But here? At home? He's supposed to be okay. He's supposed to relax and just be my brother. But now you Americans come in with your big Alpha boss and his stupid Alpha son and the elders want to lock my brother away for his own safety. It's bullshit."

A few things click for Jesse in that moment. The first, is that Reyes is probably right about his smoking addiction getting out of hand. The second, is that their intel on the Shimada boys is woefully incorrect.

The dossier he read before the mission had both boys marked down as Alphas, just like their dad and the rest of their family. The percentage of Alphas in the world was slanted heavily in their favour, with at least one in every family (usually the asshole uncle everyone hated). Jesse had been shocked to learn his own boss was an Omega instead of an Alpha. Reyes had all the personality markers of a big buff badass, but instead he was one of the handful of Omegas in the world.

The rest of the population was made up of Betas, people who had no secondary gender to speak of, and lived their lives without worry of what month it was or who they were close to. Hanzo couldn't be a Beta, not with the way Genji was reacting. So...

"Wait, you're telling me your brother's an Omega?"

Genji rolls his eyes. "Its not that big of a deal."

It kind of is, Jesse wants to say. Instead he goes with: "So why does your dad want to lock him away? Scared we'll find out or something?"

"He's scared one of you guys will rape my poor defenceless brother and knock him up and ruin his life."

Well then.

Jesse blinks a few times before frowning and crossing his arms. "You know my papi is an Omega. He's also the toughest asshole I've ever met. He could beat up your dad with his hands tied behind his back."

Finally, Genji cracks a smile. "And my brother could beat both of your dads up in a heartbeat. Blindfolded."

"With his arms tied behind his back?"

"No he needs those to fight. He has very delicate ankles."

Jesse laughs at that, smug when he catches Genji laughing along with him. "Well Shimada-san, if I weren't here, what were you planning on doing with your brother?"

"We were going to go for lunch at Rikimaru's. Hanzo acts like he hates it but he lives for their ramen. I just like the music."

"Well how about you and I go for lunch and you bring him back something? That way we put this whole nasty business behind us, you get some quality time with your brother, and he gets his ramen."

For the first time, Genji looks at him with something other then disgust. It's almost fond. Finally, he relents, walking past Jesse and toward the gate. "You know, you're not so bad. For an American."

"You're not so bad yourself." Jesse teases, catching up to him. "For a carrot."

Genji's face immediately morphs into a pout, hands going up to his hair. "Why does everyone keep saying that!"

"Maybe wear less orange."

"Orange looks great on me! Don't you think?"

Again, Jesse has to remind himself not to insult the target.

\---

Hanzo doesn't look up from his book when Genji raps on his window. The elders always gave him plenty of work to do when he was home, but they'd doubled the workload this summer. He knew it was because of their visitors, but it didn't bother him. Not as much as it bothered Genji.

"Anija. I have a gift for you. But only if you open the window."

Hanzo stood up only because another broken window would get him in trouble, NOT because the prospect of a gift interested him. Still, he couldn't hide the soft smile on his face when Genji pushed the carefully wrapped bowl of ramen into his face before climbing in.

"You brought me Rikimaru's?"

Genji's grin is infectious. "Of course! It was the American's idea. He's not so bad, not really."

"Are you glad you decided not to kill him then?"

"Bah, I only didn't do it because you wouldn't help me."

"Be nice. You may finally have a friend father did not have to buy!"

Genji's face falls at his brother's teasing. "Oh my god. My only real friend is an American with bad taste in clothes." He collapses onto Hanzo's floor, face first and lays still. "My life is over."

Hanzo sits next to him, patting his head softly as he opens his meal. Rarely, Genji would bring Hanzo a gift from his trips to town, but they were always something inane and strange. Things Hanzo would never choose for himself, like pichimaru stuffies or a box of cigarettes that Hanzo refused to touch. This... this was sweet. "Genji, please thank him for me. I forgot to stop for lunch today."

"You could always sneak out and thank him yourself, you know."

Hanzo shakes his head. "You know I can't."

Genji says nothing. They both know Hanzo is right."

\---

"Don't do it, kid." Jesse mutters to himself as he walks through the Shimada gardens, a pack of cigarette's in hand. "If the addiction don't get you, the cancer will."

He stops, pushing the box of smokes into his shirt pocket as a guard walks past him. "Evenin'! Nice night, innit?"

The guard nods once, then continues on, not giving the kid another glance. Jesse waits for him to pass around a corner before continuing on for a secluded place to smoke. It isn't much later that he finds a dark building out of the way of the main compound. It looks like a dojo of some sort, with a row of wooden weapons along a wall. A few well worn practice dummies sit in a corner.

"Looks like as good a place as any."

The minute the lit cigarette hits his lips, Jesse feels the day's tension leave his body. To be honest, he hadn't even realized how stressed he was until that moment. It made sense, of course. He'd spent the day with a gang lord's son, spending gang money at an arcade, and was going to go to sleep in the house of a gang lord with the nearest backup a hallway away. A year ago he'd been on a mission with Reyes in Russia where they'd missed their transport and had to spend the night in a snow cave. He'd rather risk freezing to death then being where he was now.

THWAK.

The soft sound startles Jesse into ducking behind a decorative rock. Had he been so distracted someone was able to sneak up on him? A glance back into the building shows that no, he was still alone. So where-

THWAK.

Behind him, past the koi pond and around a high wall. He stubs the cigarette out before the smoke can give him away, keeping to the shadows as he investigates the noise.

THWAK.

He finds an archery range splayed out across a small garden. Targets are everywhere, a board leaning against a rock, painted onto a wall, even tied onto the branch of a sakura tree. And in the middle of it all, Hanzo Shimada in a white kyudo-gi. His hair is tied back, half his chest bared to the elements and glistening with sweat. His right arm knocks another arrow, pulling the string back as he concentrates on another shot before firing. The tattoo on his left arm dancing with the movement, as if the art was alive on his skin.

The sight alone makes Jesse's mouth go dry.

The young cowboy quickly ducks further into the shadows, leaning up against a boulder so he can see overtop of it, eyes glued to Hanzo's figure as he shoots arrow after arrow in rapid succession. He makes it look effortless, poetic. Jesse was the first to admit he'd seen some graceful fighting while in the presence of super soldiers, but Hanzo made them all look like buffoons.

"Impressive, ne?"

Jesse most certainly does not jump, hand flying to where his holster usually sits. He'd left it in his room earlier to keep up appearances, certain he wouldn't need it. He falters for a second, before glaring at Genji, thinking once again about punching the smug look off the younger man's face. "Don't you know not to sneak up on people like that?"

"Don't you know not to spy on people like some kind of weird voyeur?" He shoots back, still grinning. "It's gross. I can see your drool from here."

Jesse grabs his chin, frowning when it comes back dry. "You're a real piece of work."

"At least I'm not spying on my half naked brother."

"Yeah, well-"

"Genji?"

Both men freeze as Hanzo's voice interrupts them.

"Who are you talking to?"

With a sigh, both men stand up. Jessie steps out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh... hi there. You uh... you wouldn't happen to know where the nearest bathroom is, would ya? See, I got a bit lost-"

Genji takes pity on him. "We were trying to sneak out together but he got distracted by you."

Hanzo's flush goes straight down to his chest as he scrambles to put his left sleeve on. Jesse almost whines in disappointment. "I apologize for delaying you."

"No need to apologize, darling." Jesse finds himself saying. "I just ain't never seen someone move like that before. It's amazing."

Genji elbows him, prompting Jesse to shut up before he can embarrass himself further. "Oh, Anija. Isn't there something you wanted to say to Jesse?"

Hanzo's eyes fall to the ground as he takes a deep breath, seemingly gathering his courage before speaking directly to the ground. "Thank you for thinking of me today. Rikimaru's is my favourite, and the meal was delicious."

Jesse blinks, then smiles. He's certain Hanzo can hear his heart from where he is, but he doesn't even mind. "It's hard not to think of you."

Genji groans next to him, before grabbing him by the arm to pull him away. "Okay, that's enough. We need to go. Goodbye Anija!"

Hanzo raises his hand in farewell just as Genji manages to pull Jesse out of sight. They make it almost all the way back to the estate proper before Jesse manages to find his words again.

"Thanks for... you know..."

"Getting you out of trouble and keeping my brother from realizing what a horn dog you are?"

Jesse's face goes bright red, his hat doing nothing to hide it even in the low light. "Hey!"

"I don't hear you denying it."

"I don't-, that is I..." Jesse takes a deep breath before covering his face with his hands. "Its like God took every damn thing that I find attractive about a person and then put it in this amazing package that has the added bonus of being able to kick my ass ten ways to Sunday."

Genji makes a face. "That is gross."

"It's unfair, is what it is."

Genji stops him before they can get any closer to the house, waiting for one of the guards to pass by and get out of hearing distance again before speaking. "You realize he is out of your league, yes?"

"Like a star to a man in the desert."

"Right. Okay. Good."

Jesse looks at him curiously. "Good?"

"Yes. Good." Genji pats Jesse's hat like he were a puppy, smiling at him sweetly before walking past him. "I just want to make sure you know what you are getting into."

Jesse watches him go, confused. "Boy, I don't even know what i'm getting myself into..."


	3. Chapter 3

Gabe can't remember the last time he saw Jack as flustered as he did this morning, the two of them waking up next to each other on the small futon in their room. It wasn't rare for Gabe to have to share a bed with a soldier while on missions. He was used to it. Very few people in Overwatch knew he was an omega, and even less cared. Any who tried anything with him were quick to learn that being an omega didn't mean he was timid and weak. Hell, Gabe knew he could throw down with the best of them.

Poor Jack was used to having his own private office and personal space. The golden boy was even lucky enough to escape having a roommate during the SEP. Waking up next to a half naked omega seemed to be bad for his heart.

At least that's what Gabe was assuming, seeing as Jack had run out of the room first chance he'd had that morning. Ana had called from a village to the north saying she may have found a lead. The village was only an hour's drive away so Jack was heading up to reconvene with her before they both returned for dinner.

For the first time in ages, Gabe found himself alone and with nothing to do. A dangerous combo for an intelligence agent, really.

He was going through his second inspection of the front gates when he finally spotted Jesse walking down a path with the younger Shimada.

"Mijo."

Jesse looked up at him immediately, grinning and waving goodbye to Genji before jogging over. "Hey Papi. Were you looking for me?"

Gabe slips into Spanish. "Walk and talk with me."

Jesse fell into step beside him, quick to organize his report in his head. "I've gotten close with Genji. We had a bit of a misunderstanding at the start but I think I answered his worries all right and now he's my best buddy."

"Good." Gabe nods. "And the older brother?"

Jesse hesitates but Gabe doesn't seem to notice, his eyes on some nearby servants who quickly dart out of sight. "He's a bit of an enigma. Haven't had a chance to get near him, really. Genji says his brother is always very busy."

It's all lies, but Gabe doesn't question any of it. Jesse thanks his lucky stars.

"Genji is all good and well, but he won't have any information on the Shimada's inner workings. Do whatever it takes to get close to Hanzo, understood?"

Jesse feels a weight drop into his stomach. "Loud and clear, sir."

\---

Dinner that night was an intimate affair. Gabe, Jack and Jesse were invited to dine with Giro Shimada and his sons. Jack wanted to argue for Ana to be invited as well but Gabe talked him out of it. This was a good step. Don't fuck it up, pretty boy.

The Overwatch trio were given traditional robes to wear, Gabe having to show the others how to wear it. They made it down to one of the smaller dining rooms deep in the castle just in time for dinner. The Shimadas were already there, seated on either side of their father along one length of the table.

Gabe motioned for his companions to sit across from them, Jack in the middle and Jesse across from Hanzo. If anyone saw the look of panic flashing across Jesse's face, they chose to keep it to themselves.

Giro gets to business immediately. "I hear your scouts found a promising lead."

"They did." Jack confirms. "My second in command, Ana Amari, followed the trail of two boys who went missing up north while playing in the mountains. She found the remains of one of them and his manner of death has led her to believe the mountains may be hiding the Omnium, if that's what we're dealing with."

"Do you believe it could be anything other than an Omnium?"

"God programs are tricky business." Jack explains. "Every time we took one down during the war, the others would learn how to counteract us. If this is indeed a God program that kept itself quiet during the war, I'd be curious as to why it chose now to reawaken. Either way, my team will leave tomorrow to look into things."

Giro nods, falling silent as servants bring out an array of dishes for the table. A servant places a pot of tea in front of him and he nods at Hanzo. Obediently, Hanzo stands and begins pouring everyone tea, staring at Jack, ending at Jesse.

Jesse gives him a soft smile as their eyes meet, only for Hanzo to avert his quickly.

After a moment, Gabe breaks the table's silence. "Shimada-sama, I need to ask you for a favour."

Even Jack looks surprised by the question, but he says nothing. Giro nods in Gabe's direction. "What do you require?"

"If we are really facing a God program, our team will be in severe danger the moment we go anywhere near the mountains. I don't want Jesse with us for that."

Giro nods in understanding. "You would ask for me to shelter your son while you fight to protect my country."

"If you are willing." Gabe counters with a smile.

"How could I say no?"

"Thank you."

Giro nods, waving away Gabe's thanks. "I understand a father's need to protect his children. Jesse will be as safe as my own sons are during this time. You have my word."

The look Gabe gives Jesse could be mistaken for that of a father relieved his son will be safe. Jesse sees it as a look of smug superiority. His boss just gave him an opening to really complete his missing.

Don't fuck it up pretty boy.

\---

A soft tapping sound pulls Jesse out of his thoughts and toward the window. The first time he saw Genji hanging upside down from the roof, he'd nearly shot him. Now?

He opens the window, eyeing the green haired gremlin curiously. "What's up?"

"Kiko chan's going to have her baby!"

Jesse blinks. "Good for her?"

"She's my cousin." Genji explains, sinking into Jesse's room carefully. "The elders left earlier to bless the baby when its born. So dad's giving Hanzo the night off. You and I are going to sneak out and meet him at a bar and get so drunk we end up crying on each other."

Jesse blinks again.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Are you even old enough to drink?"

"I'm a Shimada. Besides, drinking laws are really just drinking suggestions when you have money."

Jesse isn't too sure about that, but okay. "So I take it you're paying?"

Genji pats his pockets, coming up empty before shrugging. "I'm sure Hanzo will pay."

"Then what the hell're we waiting for?"

\---

The bar Genji leads him too feels too shiny and new for the area its in. Its farther away from Shimada castle then Rikimaru's and the arcade, but still well within the Hanamura city limits. Its two floors, with the second being more of a crosswalk of balconies and sitting areas, and a circular bar crowding the middle of the floor. Groups of 20-somethings sit drinking together or swaying to the music.

"This ain't a bar, its a club."

Genji shrugs. "City council would not allow a club to be built. Father had to pitch it as a bar focused on the youth. He still had to bribe most of them, but boy did this city need it."

At this point Jesse has stopped being surprised by how much of the city the Shimadas own. "So where's your brother?"

They fall silent as Genji begins looking around. Halfheartedly, Jesse searches as well, only to stop and point up. Hanzo's on the second story, leaning against the rail with a drink in one hand, and the other on a muscular young man's chest, keeping him at arm's distance.

Genji's eyes darken considerably. "Jesse, wait here."

Before he can say a word in response, Genji is climbing him like a tree, using his shoulders as a launching point to help him reach the walkway directly above. He climbs onto it, startling a gaggle of girls. He shoots them a wink, then continues toward his brother.

The other man has his hands on Hanzo's hips, leaning in for a kiss when Genji arrives and pulls him off by the back of his shirt. Jesse watches in mute astonishment as the man goes white as a ghost, and then backs off, nearly tripping over himself as he escapes the club. Jesse considers tripping him but thinks better of it.

By the time he looks back up, the brothers are already making their way back to him, using the stairs this time. He meets them part way.

Up close, Hanzo takes Jesse's breath away. His hair is down, draped like a piece of cloth over his shoulder; a loose, low cut shirt pulls attention toward his glorious pecs; and the flush of red on his cheeks. He's definitely been drinking already.

"Started without us, hey Shimada-sama?"

Hanzo grins at him. "I grew bored of waiting, and there were so many kind offers just waiting for me to say yes."

Genji looks like he's about to say something, but smartly changes his mind. "I need a drink. I'm going to go drink."

As soon as Genji is out of line of sight, Hanzo's entire demeanour changes. He's still flushed, but his back becomes straighter, eyes scrunched in annoyance as he turns his glare Jesse's direction. "You could not have delayed yourselves by a few more minutes?"

"What? Why? Thought that guy was bugging you."

Hanzo scoffs. "If he were truly bothering me, he be bleeding out somewhere hidden. I am not as fragile as Genji seems to think."

"Don't think he thinks you're fragile, darling. Think he just cares about you."

"Yes, well-" Hanzo stops, then turns to Jesse with a grin. "Darling?"

Jesse wishes a hole would open up and kill him right about now. "Yes. Darling. Its a term of endearment. Never heard of em before?"

"I have, but never from a stranger before."

"We really still strangers?"

"I believe you have yet to formally introduce yourself to me. I hear stories of your daring escapades with my brother, but nothing from you yourself. Have you no interest in me, Jesse-san?"

It takes Jesse a moment to realize Hanzo is flirting with him. The Hanzo Shimada, god amongst men. Flirting. With him.

Fortunately, flirting is Jesse's first language. He takes his hat off, holding it to his chest as he bows slightly, smiling as he straightens back up. "Jesse Reyes-Morrison at yer service, darling. And I must say, you are looking like a damn angel tonight. Genji mentioned Hanamura's most beautiful came here for drinks, and now I see he was telling the truth. Cause there ain't no one in this entire world more beautiful then you."

To Jesse's horror Hanzo snorts, giggles turning into full blown laughter as Jesse stands there, wishing for that hole again.

"I apologize." Hanzo finally manages to get out, hiding a grin behind his hand. Jesse curses himself for focusing on how goddam glorious Hanzo's smile is. He hasn't seen something so genuine out of the man the entire time he's been in the country. "I was not expecting something so... grand and fanciful."

Fanciful? "Every word was true, ya know. Yer gorgeous. You-"

Hanzo stops him with a finger to his lips. "If you are going to continue, I will need another drink. Fetch it for me."

Jesse shakes his head with a grin. "All right, all right. Don't go replacing me before I get back though, aight?"

"I make no promises." Hanzo grins, eyes not leaving Jesse's. "You should hurry if you want to keep my attention."

Jesse damn near runs to the bar, pointedly ignoring Genji's glare of annoyance as he passes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my notes, they were supposed to kiss this chapter but it felt rushed. I think I might need to tag this slow burn.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo finds it hard to ignore the comfort surrounding his family's guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this is a shorter one then what I normally write, but the next section worked better as a new chapter.

Hanzo woke with the sun, stretching languidly in his blankets and basking in the warm light that was streaming through his open window. His brother had once joked that he was like a cat in the mornings, lazy and content... as long as there was nothing pressing to do. And today? Today he was free until his check in with the elders that evening.

As content as he was to lay about in bed the entire day, the reminder of his upcoming phone call successfully ruined his good mood.

Sitting up, his head spun and stomach lurched, reminding him of his actions the night prior. His brother had blocked his attempts to find a bed warmer for the night, and in revenge he stole Jesse's attentions for the entire night. Not that the American seemed to have minded in the slightest. He'd happily eaten up every shred of attention Hanzo had given him like a starving man.

The memory brought a flush to his face. Drinking always gave him that extra bit of... confidence to let loose and have fun. He'd known from that night in his practice range that the American was interested in him, but he'd never entertained the thought of doing anything about it. Sharing a night with a strange was one thing, one thing that his father and the elders never needed to know about. Sleeping with a guest? Unthinkable. Jesse had to continue to think he was the shy and perfect heir his family expected him to be.

Not that Jesse had done anything unfavourable. At one point he'd put his hand on Hanzo's knee and Hanzo had told him off for it. Jesse kept his hands to himself from that point, even keeping distance between them when they walked home together. The whole night had been strangely... pleasant.

He shook that thought away as he dressed for the day. Soon enough the Overwatch agents would return from their investigation and return to Geneva with Jesse and Hanzo would never see him again. It was best to avoid temptations before they became distractions.

\---

There were many libraries in the Shimada castle, but only one that was limited to family members alone. That one was built by Hanzo's grandfather Takashi, the first omega Kumiho of the Shimada family. He died shortly after Hanzo was born, and Hanzo had no memories of the man, but being in this library gave him a sense of comfort.

Normally it was left alone for his use. But today?

Hanzo hesitated at the open door, not making a noise as he watched Jesse snoring away on the soft pillows he'd planned to curl up on himself. The poor man looked exhausted, still wearing last night's clothing and hat askew on his head. Had he not made it to his own room last night? They'd both been quit drunk at the end of the night, but when Jesse bid him goodnight after walking him to his room he'd looked sober enough.

Hanzo didn't hesitate to walk up to the pillows and prod at Jesse with his foot.

Nothing.

With a sigh, Hanzo drops to his knees and twists Jesse's nose, hard enough to make the younger man wake with a yell.

"The hell?" Jesse glares at him with a hurt look, lips in a pout as he rubs his sore nose. "What was that for?"

"You are in my library."

"So you punch me in the face?"

"I did not punch you. I was merely attempting to wake you."

"Coulda just shook me."

Hanzo quickly changes the topic. "Why are you here? Your room is on the far side of the estate."

Jesse looks around, surveying the room as if he was seeing it for the first time. "Well. Wasn't exactly planned, darling."

Hanzo ignores the nickname and nods for him to continue.

"After I walked ya to your room I was planning on heading back to my own but I got a bit lost. Then I saw some guards on their rounds and panicked. The door to this place opened and I thought I'd sit out the patrol and head back to my room later on."

That answer was satisfying to Hanzo, if not a bit disappointing in simplicity. He often found a drunk Genji passed out in his library so he made sure to leave the door unlocked on purpose. "Very well. You may stay and rest while I study."

He purposely pulls the biggest, comfiest pillow away from Jesse's grasp and places it in a corner of the room, curling up against it to read. He finishes only a single passage before realizing his mistake of allowing Jesse to stay.

"Say, whose the fella in the picture?"

Hanzo doesn't need to look up to know who Jesse is referring to. The only portrait in the room was that of his grandfather Takashi as a young man. "My grandfather, Shimada Takashi. He ruled before my father, and his younger brother is the head of our council of elders."

"Oh." Jesse answers after a moment, eyes darting from the portrait to Hanzo and then back. "He was real pretty. You look a lot like him."

Hanzo scoffs and finally looks up from his book. "He was, as you say, 'real pretty' because he was an omega. He stood up against the council of elders when they wished to hide him away from the world, convinced he could not lead because of how he presented. He became a great leader and married for duty as was expected, but he even carried his children instead of his wife. My father insists that to be taken seriously, I must be an even greater leader then my grandfather was."

"Your family's been around for a real long time, huh?"

"As children, we were told our family can trace back our origins to dragons who lived on the islands long before men arrived."

There's a shine in Jesse's eyes that speaks of awe rather then disbelief. He leans toward Hanzo. "No way. Dragons?"

"Would you like to hear the stories?" Hanzo asks with a grin, petting the seat next to him.

Jesse is beside him in an instant and Hanzo wastes no time in getting right into his favourite story. He hadn't had the chance to tell it since Genji grew out of his bedtime story phase.

"There is a story of two dragon brothers, the Dragon of the North wind, and the Dragon of the South..."

\---

"... but then those damn bleeding hearts got to know the locals." The reception of Gabriel's end of the connection kept cutting in and out, his camera stuttering every few seconds to catch up with his movement, even if the sound was clean. "So now we're stuck in the goddam middle of nowhere until we figure this mystery out."

"Hmm." Jesse responds, not paying his boss any attention as he scribbles in a notebook out of view of the camera. It was nothing legible, and certainly nothing artistic enough to show anyone else. Just doodles of tiny dragons.

"Mijo, are you even listening?"

"Yea, papi." Jesse says a beat too fast, eyes not leaving his notebook. "Ana is a bleeding heart and dad doesn't like mysteries so you're going nowhere fast and thinking about a divorce."

Gabe covers his laugh with a cough, smiling through the camera. "That's the gist of it. How are things on your end?"

"Not bad. Went out drinking with Genji and Hanzo a couple nights ago. Ended up passed out in one of the family libraries after I got lost and Hanzo took pity on me. He told me some stories about the family and they were pretty cool."

"Anything interesting?"

Jesse's face scrunches as he considers his next words carefully. He knew there was a bug in his room, hidden behind the painting on the wall closest to the bathroom. That's why his skype conversations with Gabriel were so carefully scripted, and why his notebook was on hand... just in case he needed to relay something he couldn't say through words.

He probably didn't need it right now.

"Remember how Ana said the Shimadas had magic?"

Gabe chuckles at that, relaxed in his seat. The connection seems to have finally stabilized, letting Jesse see his boss's movements uninterrupted. "There's no such thing as magic, mijo. Just cold hard science."

"Hanzo said his family is descended from dragons that turned into people."

"Right."

"Papi, did you leave me as a sacrifice to a bunch of dragons?"

"Please. If they wanted a sacrifice I would have given them Jack. At least he's easy on the eyes."

Jesse lets out a squeak of indignation only to hear an echo of it from Gabe's side of the screen. He grins at someone off screen only for Jack to join him in front of the camera a moment later. "I knew you were trying to kill me."

"Can't help it, cariño. That insurance policy is just too appealing."

"Bet you our insurance policy has a stipulation against human sacrifice."

"You would."

Jesse leans back in his seat, smiling at the sight in front of him. God how he wants to make a quip about them being a married couple.

Jack sets his eyes on the screen and nods at Jesse. "How are you doing?"

"Good, dad. The Shimadas are treating me really well. Genji's a lot of fun and Hanzo is... well, he's a great storyteller."

"Jesse thinks they're magic." Gabe can't help but tease, wiggling his eyebrows at Jack. "We need to get Ana to stop telling him so many tall tales."

"Don't joke like that." Jack says in a complete deadpan. "Magic is very real."

Gabriel stares at Jack for a long moment. Then: "I will never take you seriously again. For as long as I live."

"You took me seriously before?"

"Point taken."

This time Jesse can't hold back his laughter, snorting into his hands. "You guys are too much."

Gabe grins. Jack doesn't. Instead, he turns to something on the table and starts writing. A moment later he holds up a paper that says:

PLANTED THE BUGS?

Jesse thinks back to the still sealed box of "cough drops" in his bag and shakes his head. Gabe reads the note before taking it and crumpling it up, coughing into his hand helpfully. Blackwatch had their own way of trading information, and none of it required Gabe to have to write anything down.

"That's the second time you've coughed, Papi. You coming down with something?"

"Hopefully not. You still have those cough drops I brought?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Leave me a few just incase."

Translation: Jack's right. You should plant some of the bugs.

"Think you'll be gone long enough for me to need some?"

Translation: Am I going to be putting them in place for long exposure or somewhere that I can grab them back quickly?

"I have no fucking idea."

Translation: I have no fucking idea.

Jack was writing again.

GIRO'S OFFICE.

Jesse felt his pulse race just at the thought of how dangerous that was going to be. When Gabe took a look at the paper and nodded, Jesse contemplated just throwing himself off the Hanamura cliffs now. Get it over and done with.

"Okay... cool. See you when you guys get back then."

Translation: If the Shimadas don't kill me first.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished this chapter and had it up on tumblr a while ago but forgot to cross post it to AO3 while I was on vacation so oops. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Jesse had few memories of his mom before her death when he was a kid. A lot of what he remembers are foggy or retold to him by a someone who knew her while he was in foster care. There was one memory that was all his however, from when he was only four and had fallen out of a tree while trying to climb it. He remembers his mother's crying face as she checked him over for injuries, laughing and scolding him in the same breath when he came away with nothing more than bruises.

_You're too lucky, my son. Too lucky for your own good._

Sometime he thought she was onto something there. It was luck that led him to Deadlock instead of dying out in the desert. It was luck that put him in Gabriel Reyes' path during the shootout. And hopefully it would be luck again that got him through the next hour.

"Enter."

Jesse wasn't even able to knock before Giro Shimada's voice was echoing out into the hallway. A guard gave him a cursory once over with his eyes before opening the door for him. Jesse had readied himself for a full body pat down, and was almost disappointed the ingenious false charm on his bracelet was going to go unappreciated.

Giro's private office was smaller then Jesse had been expecting. It was smaller then Hanzo's library had been, with similar overflowing bookshelves leaning dangerously from the weight. Papers lay haphazardly around the oversized, low desk, with three holographic screens cycling through different news pages, stock market reports, and a half written letter in kanji that Jesse couldn't read. Part of him wished he'd bothered to attempt learning Japanese for this mission. Would make his job as a spy far easier.

Jesse bowed as soon as the door closed behind him, careful to keep his eyes down to the floor. "Shimada sama."

Giro looked surprised to see him, face falling to one of concern almost immediately. A swipe of his hand dropped all three screens into darkness, pushing them out of the way. "Reyes-Morrison san. Is something wrong?" His eyes dart to his phone before returning to Jesse, motioning to the pillow across from him.

Jesse took a seat, silently complaining about Japanese culture and their hatred of 'normal' seats. "No, uh, nothing's wrong. I just, uh..."

He'd had a carefully scripted speech for this, complete with fake tears and pleas for mercy but it rang false and plastic in his mind. So he improvised.

"I'm sure ya know that Genji and I snuck out a couple nights ago to go drinking with Hanzo."

"I am aware, yes." Giro acknowledges, confirming a few of Jesse's suspicions. "There is not much that happens in Hanamura without my knowledge, despite what my sons may believe. You did not break any rules or violate my trust."

Well, here's the moment of truth. "But, ya see, I did."

"How so?"

Jesse hesitates, organizing his thoughts so his words will agitate the elder Shimada without making him want to kill Jesse with his bare hands. "I know Hanzo's an omega, and I think I... I mean, I don't know if its hormones or nothing, but it's making me feel things."

Giro stares at him for a long moment, studying his face before he speaks. "Have you lain a hand on him?"

"Well... yes." He can feel the energy in the room shift into something dangerous so he scrambles to keep talking, hands on the edge of Giro's desk. "B-but just on his knee. And when he said he didn't like that I held back. Didn't touch him rest of the night and walked him home like a gentleman. I swear I didn't do nothing unsavoury. Mi abuela didn't raise me like that."

His words seem to calm Giro down, the energy in the room slowly cooling down until the older man laughs loud enough to make Jesse jump. "To think. For a moment I was worried I would have to send your father's your body in pieces."

Jesse feels faint.

"Have you spoken to my son about your feelings?"

"No sir." Jesse assures him. "Think Genji knows though."

"Genji is perceptive when it comes to his brother. And protective. If you are still alive then he sees something in you worth studying. And a connection to Overwatch's first family would be beneficial on both ends."

Don't nobody say Jesse was a terrible actor. Instead of wincing at the mention of his fake family's 'standing', he preens with pride, smiling wide. "Am I hearing your blessing, sir?"

Giro scoffs. "Not yet." He pulls up a holo screen and flips it around for Jesse to see. "There is a play tonight at the Hanamura royal theatre. Hanzo's favourite. You will be accompanied by my best men and watched carefully. Afterward... we will see."

Jesse stands, fumbling forward in his speed to bow, nearly hitting his head on the desk. "Thank you, sir. Thank you."

"Do not make me regret this."

He straightens slowly, flashing Giro a prize winning grin. "Wouldn't dream of it, sir!"

When he returns to his room, a single text message is waiting for him on his phone. A thumbs up emoticon. The small bug planted on the underside of Giro's desk is transmitting fine.

\---

Hanzo stares at the soft blue kimono in front of him. His father had brought it by that morning, smiling from ear to ear as he announced Hanzo had been invited to the theatre by a potential suitor. It was the same story every time he was home for the holidays. He'd have to go out once or twice with a boring suitor who was more interested in impressing his father then having a good time with him.

Genji didn't bother with knocking this time, throwing the window open and rolling inside. "You will never guess who you're going out with tonight."

"I do not care." He really doesn't. "Should I wear my hair up or down?"

Genji pulls the kimono away from his brother gently (the last time he tore something of Hanzo's he thought his brother was going to kill him). "It's Jesse. You're going on a date with Jesse."

Hanzo freezes. That's not a possibility he was expecting. "That makes no sense."

"Rumour has it Jesse asked him for the honour."

Hanzo feels sick to his stomach. "This has to be a mistake."

"You're telling me." Genji scoffs. "I actually thought he was cool! But forcing his way to you through father? Shameful."

"Perhaps he imagines this is the correct course of action?"

"No. The correct course of action would be to go up to your himself, get his head out of his giant American ass and ask you out on a date himself. That way you can at least tell him to go fuck himself."

"I would not say that." Hanzo insists, insulted. "That's crass."

"No, you'd just stab him."

"No one would find his body in order to confirm or deny that."

The brothers match their grins before Hanzo returns his gaze to his outfit for the night. "The appropriate response to tonight would be to be perfectly behaved and a delight to be with."

"Oooor." Genji coos, moving behind his brother to play with his hair. "You could crush Jesse's heart into dust and leave him wanting more."

Hanzo only smiles softly. "Perhaps."

\---

At precisely four pm on the dot, a guard comes to collect Jesse from his room. He packed some formal wear in his bag at Ana's insistence, but the guard takes one look at his outfit and shakes his head. Instead of the front doors, Jesse finds himself in a room with a tiny woman who doesn't speak a word of english measuring him and throwing pieces of clothes at him until he smartens up and starts putting them on.

The formal kimono she picked out for him is loose in some places but comfortable in the rest. Unfortunately, anything less than perfection is unworthy of someone about to take the Shimada heir out on a date. As soon as he sees the woman coming at him with a needle and thread he bolts for the door.

The guard gets there first, blocking his way and wearing a downright giddy grin on his face.

"Goddam sadists. All of ya."

"She will not hurt you. She is the best seamstress in city."

"Still don't much feel like being a human mannequin..."

The woman mutters something that he doesn't need to understand to know its a curse about his height before an assistant brings her a stool. She fixes the arms and sleeves in minutes, hands making quick work of the excess material and resowing seams like new.

Jesse makes it to the front gate, Giro Shimada is waiting for him. He gives him a short look before nodding his approval. "Come. Stand beside me."

He does, taking a deep breath to slow his heart as Giro claps his hands and two servants disappear into the house.

The breath catches in his throat as Hanzo appears, dressed immaculately in a light blue robe that matches Jesse's own darker version. His hair is loose and down, held out of his face with a dragon pin.

"Damn, darling..."

Giro clears his throat, reminding Jesse he is still there and making the younger man flush with embarrassment. He stares at the ground until Hanzo is in front of them.

"You look very handsome, Jesse."

His voice is hollow, the smile on his face not reaching his eyes. The frown on Giro's face tells Jesse he isn't the only one who notices.

Carefully, Jesse takes Hanzo's hand and kisses the back of it softly. "And you look like an angel, darling. Absolutely gorgeous. A perfect picture."

Hanzo's lips pull into a real smile before he catches himself, face falling into indifference once again. He pulls his hand free. "Shall we, then?"

He leads the way to the gate without waiting for Jesse to respond.

\---

The Hanamura Theatre is a modern work of art with all the fixings of a modern building (complete with holographic back panels for ease of background changes and state of the art audio equipment) all stored in a beautifully traditional looking shell. Tonight's event, the Dance of the Dragons was a sold out show, with everyone dressed to the nines. There were a few foreigners among the crowd, but the majority of the crowd seemed to be local, with all eyes on the young duo as they exited the hover car.

Hanzo ignored the ticket line altogether, and no one stopped him. He waited only momentarily for Jesse to catch up and offer him an arm to escort him into the hall proper. From there Hanzo's guards escorted the duo up a curved stairway to a number of private booths. At this point Jesse wasn't even surprised to see the Shimadas owned a number of the booths, but he was surprised when Hanzo stopped the guards from entering with them. He let go of Jesse's arm, pulling the curtains to the booth shut behind them.

"Thought they were supposed to be keep an eye on us."

"They are." Hanzo responds with a shrug. "But they bore easily and I enjoy my privacy. This is a mutually beneficial solution."

"And what if I try something unsavoury?"

"Then I will put you in your place." Hanzo's eyes shine as he speaks, challenging Jesse to try him.

Jesse does, taking a step closer to Hanzo. Invading his space. "And what exactly is my place?"

Beneath me.

But he doesn't say that. Instead Hanzo places a single finger on Jesse's chest and pushes until he backs off, hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright darling." He moves to the side, letting Hanzo stand alongside him before leading him to the short row of seats in the private box. He lets Hanzo sit first before taking the seat next to him. "So tell me about this play."

Hanzo looks at him curiously. "What do you wish to know?"

"Well, I can't speak a lick of Japanese, and I doubt you want me to interrupt you every few minutes during the actual show, so gimme the run down."

Hanzo can't help his growing smile, ducking down so Jesse won't notice it. "Dance of the Dragons is a ballet. There are no words, only music and dancing."

"Oh." Jesse blinks down at the stage with renewed interest. "I'll be honest darling, I've never been to a ballet before. But coloured me interested now that you've told me that."

"If you have never been to a ballet before, why did you choose this as the place for our date?"

"I didn't." Jesse admits. "Your dad did. He didn't give me much of a choice in the location of our date. Just gave me the details and told me not to be late."

Hanzo can't help but feel disappointed. "And you did not argue at all?"

"Well, course not, darling. He said this show was your favourite, and I just wanted to make sure you had a good time."

Jesse catches him off guard with that, and for a moment Hanzo isn't sure what to say next. He settles back into his seat, watching the empty stage with intense focus. He can feel Jesse shifting next to him, but pays him no mind.

"Jesse, if you could have planned tonight's date, what would you have had us do?"

"Rikimaru's." He answers immediately. "Genji mentioned you loved it and I had a great time there myself. It's pretty quiet so we could talk and actually hear each other. It's close to the castle so I doubt your daddy would say it wasn't safe. And the food is soooo good."

"Sounds intimate."

"I prefer something comfortable for a first date." Jesse smiles, causing something to flip in Hanzo's stomach. "I mean, we're still getting to know each other, ain't we?"

"Yes." Hanzo admits, settling against Jesse's arm as the lights dim. "Perhaps that is an idea for next time then."

He can feel Jesse's smile despite not looking at him. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo's heat hits and leaves Jesse alone and able to concentrate on the mission... and the awful guilt doing his job makes him feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all have been saying such sweet and amazing things about this story and this world and my heart is just burning up something awful. I feel warm and loved and so goddam anxious about finishing the story in a way that will feel satisfactory. 
> 
> (Actually that's a lie. I've known how this story was going to end since day one. It's already written). 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for all the kind words anyway. Seriously. Y'all the best. Enjoy.

"Jesse."

Hanzo's voice is soft, deep with lust and desperation. Eyes lidded as he gazes up at Jesse, hands fisted in the sheets by his head. "Please, Jesse..."

Jesse feels heavy, hands not working how they should, but pleasure racing through his body with every touch, every soft press of Hanzo's lips against his own. His own lips travel down Hanzo's neck to the bare patch of skin just next to his tattoo. His teeth graze the skin playfully, causing Hanzo to full body shudder underneath him, head tilting to give him more room.

"Jesse..."

He bites down, marking Hanzo as his, feeling pure pleasure as Hanzo's nails scratch down his back.

"Oh, McCree!"

He wakes up, pulse racing and sheets sticky. This isn't the first time he's ruined his sheets since entering the Shimada household, but this dream was by far the most vivid.

"Fucking hell..."

Three days ago, Hanzo had disappeared from the house, servants staying tight lipped about his whereabouts, and Sojiro had been too busy to answer any of Jesse's concerns. It took catching Genji sneaking back into the castle smelling familiar for someone to finally tell Jesse what was going on.

Hanzo was in heat. It happened every few months, and always at least once during his summer stay. The servants were instructed to act as if he was still away at school, and only his immediate family and a few guards were allowed into his room. With Jesse in the estate, the elders thought it would be better for Hanzo to be transported to a safer location.

Jesse barely got a whiff of Hanzo's scent where it covered Genji, but that's all it took to send his mind into overdrive, fantasies of a future with him... of being intimate with him took over every thought.

Some dreams ended well, wonderfully even. Some...

Jesse forced himself out of bed, stumbling into the bathroom to stare at himself in the mirror. His eyes were dark from lack of sleep, hair messed. He looked pathetic, a cad, someone unworthy of even looking at Hanzo, never mind the things he wished for. Regardless of how attracted he was to the Shimada heir, there was no future for the two of them. Not now, not ever.

He was just a mark. A way to get information on the Shimadas. And he was going to ignore teh stinging pain in his chest at that thought.

"Get it together, Jesse." You've got a job to do.

\---

By now Jesse was used to taking his meals alone. Sometimes a curious servant would sit with him and ask him questions, but normally it was just him and the empty room. To his surprise, Genji was sitting in his usual seat, finishing off a large meal despite the early hour.

"Oh. Good morning, Jesse."

The poor cowboy's morning dilemma rears its ugly head back up with one short breath in Genji's premise. "Geeze. Warn a guy, will ya?"

Genji blinks at him once before breaking out in a smile. "Oops."

"Oops my ass."

Despite the horrible, awful (amazing) smell, Jesse takes a seat across from Genji, smiling gratefully as a servant appears out of nowhere with a plateful of his regular breakfast. He takes a bite before noticing Genji is still staring at him with a smile. "What?"

"You are a strange one."

"That's what my dads say all the time."

"I walked home this morning and nearly had a man fight me just for how I smelled despite not knowing who or where Hanzo was. You do know Hanzo, and I know you want him. But you just whined about giving you a warning and then sat down to eat. Why?"

"I'm a growing boy, Genji. Food beats sex any day."

Genji snorts his drink partly out of his nose, laughing hysterically as Jesse rolls his eyes. "Oh my gooooood!"

"Really, though. I ain't got a claim on Hanzo. Even if I wanted to fight you or any other Alpha for him, I bet Hanzo'd just kick my ass for acting like he couldn't protect himself." He stops to think about that for a minute before laughing at himself. "Actually, my papi'd probably kill me for acting like a wild animal before Hanzo'd get the chance."

He expects Genji to laugh, but he's met with silence instead. When he looks up from his breakfast, Genji is staring at him curiously.

"What?"

"Come." Genji commands, standing up. "Let's go for a walk."

\---

Genji leads him through Hanamura like a man with paranoia, darting through traffic and backtracking every few blocks, eventually pulling Jesse through a crowded restaurant and out the backdoor, pushing him under an awning and glancing out at the rooftops.

"Who we hiding from?" He says it with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood but Genji doesn't take the bait, being far more serious than Jesse thought possible for the kid.

"Jesse, what do you know of my family?"

For a moment, Jesse wonders if his cover's been blown. But that's not right. If Genji knew, he'd probably have killed him already. Sojiro certainly would have.

"I know you guys are some kind of old school dynasty thing." He decides to show his hand just a bit. "Dad said you guys are like the Japanese mafia or something like that."

Genji smiles at that, but it looks twisted, like he's eating something sour. "Something like that, yes. We steal, we kill and I need you to help me keep my brother safe from the monsters in our family."

For a long moment Genji says nothing further, and Jesse realizes all too quickly that this is the moment he has been waiting for. The information he needed wasn't going to come from the bug in Sojiro's office, or from a slip of the tongue during a date with Hanzo. It was going to come from a scared little brother trying to keep his family safe. And didn't that just make him feel dirty.

"What do you mean keep him safe? Hanzo can take care of himself, you know."

"No he can't!" Genji snarls, turning on Jesse and pushing him against the nearby building. "Are you completely blind to the things around you! Or are you just dumb?"

Well that's insulting. Jesse pushes Genji back, freeing himself from the younger's grip. "Okay! Okay. Tell me what I've been missing. Does your dad want him dead or something? A cousin vying for power? The old goats up to something?"

"Try all of the above."

Jesse feels his pulse turn to ice. He slips his numb fingers into his pocket, fumbling for his comm and somehow managing to switch it on so Overwatch could hear the conversation. "You're wrong. I know for a fact that your dad loves him."

"He does." Genji agrees. "Doesn't mean he doesn't think things would be easier without Hanzo around. Hell, it's all the elders ever talk about when they're not busy giving me the stink eye. Sometimes even when they are! Sojiro your sons are a black mark on the Shimada name! The sparrow is an embarassment, but at least he isn't an omega!"

Jesse realizes Genji is just ranting now, but he doesn't stop him. "There's nothing wrong with being an omega."

"Maybe not in your world. But here?" Genji falls silent for a moment before looking around again. Satisfied they're alone, he steps into Jesse's space. "You know Hanzo is a good fighter. Hell, he's perfect at everything. He tried proving it to the elders, so our father by taking on a dangerous assassination. The head of another clan. He managed to seduce his way to the man's home and then killed him in his own bed. He took down one of our biggest rivals by himself and all anyone cared about was wether or not he was still a virgin, if any of our allies would accept a marriage alliance if they thought he was dirtied."

Jesse can feel the bile rising into his throat at Genji's words. "That's not right. Hanzo told me about your grandfather. He was an omega, wasn't he? And he seemed pretty well respected."

"He was also murdered in his sleep by his wife before his thirtieth birthday."

"Holy shit."

"That's my grandmother Keiko, by the way. She's on the council of elders. She claims he died from a heart attack but the truth is a badly kept secret. Honourable uncle Eiji was his younger brother, an alpha. He ruled until my father came of age. You think he'd just stand aside and let another omega rule the family?"

Jesse shakes his head. "This is fucked up. Fucked up and wrong."

"I think that's why my father is so convinced you are a proper match for him. He thinks you can take him away, keep him safe from the elders, keep him happy."

"Why would he think that?"

"You are a decent person, and your fathers are powerful and good." Genji points out. "You're stationed out of Geneva. Hanzo would go with you if you left, I know he would. You could keep him safe." There's something in Genji's eyes, and it takes Jesse a moment to realize its unshed tears. "Will you keep him safe?"

Jesse doesn't know how to answer that. He can't take Hanzo to Geneva. Even if he wanted to keep the identity of Jesse Reyes-Morrison alive he couldn't. When this mission was over, another one would be waiting. Hell, even if this weren't a mission, Hanzo could never go to Geneva. He was a criminal according to what Genji had just told him, what Jesse had just sent straight to his bosses.

"Genji... Hanzo's your family's heir. Wether they like his biology or not, he's the one being trained, the one expected to take the reigns after your dad. There's no way anyone'd let me take him anywhere."

The look on Genji's face tells him he already knows. "But if there was a way? Would you?"

"In a heartbeat." Jesse agrees without thinking. In this hypothetical world, if he could have things his way, he would love to be able to call Hanzo his. "But that just ain't possible."

"You keep saying that."

"It just isn't! I can't just kidnap your brother! And before you saying it, yes it'd be kidnapping. You think he'd just let me leave you behind to take everything on by yourself? Uh uh. He wouldn't do it, and I couldn't do that to him. I love him, dammit!"

As soon as he says it, he freezes, horror on his face as Genji's look of shock morphs into glee.

"Dammit, Gen, don't-"

"OH MY GOD."

Before Jesse knows it, he's got a chest full of tiny green haired gremlin, squealing and squeezing the life out of him. "Gen-"

Genji lets go of him before he can pass out, smiling up at the taller boy. "Don't you worry about a thing. I've got a plan."

\---

Jesse stares down at the comm in his hands, stomach churning with guilt as he reads the short message over and over.

_Got your call. Don't worry about it. We'll discuss this with your father when we get back to Shimada Castle. See you soon._

On the surface it was nothing ominous. If anyone got ahold of his phone they'd likely ignore it completely. But to Jesse, its confirmation Gabe was listening to everything he and Genji were talking about. He likely wouldn't care about Jesse's declaration of love, figuring it was just him playing to Genji's desires. And he wouldn't care about Genji's fears for his brother except to see a wound to be picked at.

This was ridiculous. Sure he fancied Hanzo, and sure he cared about Genji like a friend. But he knew getting into this that his job would be to play the entire family for information. It was his job!

... So why did he feel like he'd just betrayed them?

Throwing his phone back into his pocket, he makes his way from his room and toward the front of the estate. With any luck he'll run into Genji returning from another trip to Hanzo's and be able to waste the day away playing mindless video games. Gabe told him not to worry about the mission and he plans on following those orders perfectly.

To his delight, when the front gate came into view, Jesse finds both Genji and Hanzo standing in the front entryway, speaking to each other animatedly. Jesse nearly runs toward them before spotting the third body in the room. The man screamed Alpha in the same way Sojiro did, standing tall and proud and completely in control of the situation. Jesse would have pinned him as another guard if not for the way his arm was wrapped around Hanzo's shoulder protectively.

It took everything in him not to stalk over and punch the other man in the face, maybe knock him down a few pegs and show Hanzo exactly who the better protector was. He doesn't even realize he's growling low in his throat until the brothers look over at him wearing mirrored expressions; Hanzo's worried while Genji looks downright gleeful.

"Hey Jesse! Have you met Hiro-san?"

So that's the bastard's name. Jesse doesn't bother hiding his glare as he carefully walks up to the trio, eyes on Hiro's arm still around Hanzo's shoulders. "Don't think I've right had the pleasure."

Finally, the man removes his offending arm, bowing low to Jesse. "Yamada Hiro. It is an honour to finally meet the man Shimada-san speaks so highly of."

His words settle Jesse a little bit. Hanzo's blush as he moves over to Jesse to take his arm has him nearly melting, all previous annoyance gone.

When Jesse says nothing, the other man clears his throat and addresses Hanzo instead. "I shall take my leave then, young master. I shall return to accompany you to Tokyo at the end of the summer."

"Thank you, Hiro." Hanzo smiles, burning Jesse up just a little once again. "Father will have someone contact you with the details as always."

The man bows again and leaves through the gates. The minute they're shut, both brothers have Jesse back in their sights. He swallows nervously, looking from Hanzo to Genji and then back. "What?"

Hanzo speaks first. "Was all that posturing truly necessary?"

"Did you see his face, Hanzo? He was ready to tear him apart!"

"I saw. I will have to apologize to Hiro when I see him next."

At that, Jesse whines pathetically. "Wait. You're goanna see him again? When? Why?"

Genji breaks out in laughter as Hanzo smiles softly, placing a hand on Jesse's chin so he can press his lips against Jesse's cheek. "Hiro is my guardian. I live with him while I attend school in Tokyo."

"He also comes to attend to Hanzo while he is in heat." Genji adds completely unnecessarily, complete with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle.

Jesse feels his heart drop. "Oh." So Hanzo already had someone. He was such an idiot for thinking someone like Hanzo would actually waste time wanting to be with someone like him, even with his cover story making him seem like a worthy name. "I didn't realize..."

Hanzo says something fast and fiery at Genji in Japanese, chastising him before returning him attention to Jesse. "It's not like that. Hiro is unique among Alphas in a way that makes him the perfect guardian for me."

"He's weird." Genji supplies. "Doesn't do the whole... you know..." He makes a crude gesture with his hands, inserting his finger into a circular shape in his other hand repeatedly.

"What Genji means is he is sex repulsed." Hanzo translates. "He has never shown interest in anyone that I know of, and can be trusted to keep me healthy and comfortable during my heats while being unaffected."

"Oh." Well, Jesse feels like a right cad now. "I didn't... um... well, shit."

"Well shit indeed." Hanzo grins. "Tell me, Jesse, were you jealous?"

"Maybe a little." He admits after a minute, eyes glued to the ground. "Can ya blame me though, darling? Here I've been pining like mad over ya and I thought maybe you'd moved on while I was sitting here in the lap of luxury getting fat."

"I have not moved on." Hanzo promises, moving into Jesse's space. "Believe me, you did not leave my mind for a second all week."

Jesse's face goes bright red just as Genji gags vocally. "Yes. Okay. That's enough for me. I'm out of here!"

Neither of the remaining boys so much as give Genji the time of day at the youngest runs away, both too busy looking into each others' eyes. To Jesse's delight, Hanzo moves in to finally kiss him softly on the lips, keeping things chaste even as Jesse wraps his arms around the shorter man to keep him close.

"You have no idea what you do to me, darling."

"I have some idea." Hanzo smiles, resting his head on Jesse's chest. "After all, I am beginning to imagine this is what being in love feels like."

Jesse feels the guilt return in full force.

"Me too, darling, me too."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch returns to the castle and Gabriel lets Jesse in on his final game plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filming is finished and I have a day to rest before returning to the day job. 
> 
> Here, have an overdue chapter.

"Okay so favourite colour."

"Blue. Favourite animal."

"Wolves are pretty cool. You ever been drunk?"

"I have drank. I do not believe I have ever... indulged enough to lose my common sense."

"Sounds like I'm goanna have ta ask ya to order us some more of this here Sake then, darling."

Hanzo freezes, chopsticks full of noodles half way to his mouth before he looks at his dinner partner with a raised brow. "Jesse, are you trying to get me drunk?"

Jesse's face turns a lovely shade of red as he backtracks. "No! Well, I mean, I was just teasing! I'd never... uh..." he trails off as he notices the shit eating grin on Hanzo's face. "You son of a bitch."

"My mother was a wonderful woman I will have you know."

"Right. Guess it ain't her fault both her sons have terrible senses of humour."

Instead of insult or exasperation, Hanzo sighs as Jesse softly, taking hold of his left hand across the table. "Are you still hurt over this morning?"

"Han. Honey. Darling. Your brother asked if your good mood was cause of my dick in front of your dad."

"It was funny."

"I thought your dad was going to kill me!"

"I would not let him."

Jesse smiles warmly but before he can say anything, Hanzo continues.

"I would at least have my way with you first."

"Darling, you're killing me here!" Jesse laughs, holding a hand to his heart. "So cruel!"

The fall into a comfortable silence after that, Rikimaru's laying empty apart from them as Hanzo's guards kept watch outside. The first time Jesse and Hanzo had come here for a date, he'd been shocked by how differently Hanzo was treated by... well, everyone. It took time for him to realize that Genji hadn't been lying about the old generation's views on omegas.

A month had passed since then, and slowly people began to grow used to seeing Jesse and Hanzo out together. Rikimaru's became a favourite stop for them for lunch dates, both with and without Genji's presence. In that time Jesse had continued to send updates from the transmitter in Sojiro's office, as well as the newly planted bugs in both the shrine and a small office Hanzo told him was a favourite for his great uncle to spend time in. Jesse had yet to hear the Shimada elders admit to anything illicit, but he had hope. Anything to take the attention off Hanzo and Genji.

Speaking of Genji...

A cry of indignation rings out from the street outside, Hanzo visibly wincing and letting go of Jesse's hand before the door can open. Genji's green head pops in, glaring at Jesse before he steps inside. "So this is where you two snuck off to."

"It is not sneaking off if we alert everyone to our whereabouts but you." Hanzo points out, pushing a chair out with his foot as Genji nears.

He takes the offered seat, pulling Hanzo's bowl toward him. "I'd apologize for interrupting your date but I'm not really sorry."

"Ya never are." Jesse jokes. "Anyhow, how'd you sneak out? Thought you were under house arrest for that party trick you pulled last night."

The party trick in question was something better left to the imagination. But it involved a case of sake from papa Shimada's private virgin daughter of an opposing clan, and a small horse. It was impressive as all hell and Jesse was heartbroken to keep the story to himself since he was fairly certain what had transpired was illegal in most parts of the world.

"Something more interesting came up and distracted everybody."

"What could possibly-"

"Jesse's dads just arrived from the north."

\---

The castle was a mess when Jesse and the Shimada brothers arrived back. Servants rushed to and fro, various familiar faces in Overwatch blue holding minor injuries and laughing amongst each other.

Ana Amari and Sojiro Shimada found them before they could venture too far, Ana showing the man something on her tablet before zeroing in on Jesse from across the courtyard. She said nothing to him, but Jesse made his way over anyway, nudging Hanzo to go with him.

"Ma'am."

"Hello Jesse. I was surprised to miss you when we arrived."

"Sorry. Was out."

Her eyes dart over to Hanzo for a moment before returning to Jesse. "You may want to go find your fathers. There was a situation and Jack was injured."

Jesse feels his stomach jolt at that. Logically, he understands Ana would have been more frantic if the injury was anything serious, but still... "What about pa?"

Ana's lips pull at a grin. "Gabriel is just fine."

Right. Nothing to worry about then.

"I have placed your fathers in the royal wing for their ease of movement while Commander Morrison recovers." Sojiro mentions, eyes still on the tablet. "My personal doctor is seeing to him now."

Jesse bows low, like Hanzo taught him. "Thank you, Shimada-sama."

Sojiro nods and waves him off, dismissing him and Jesse runs off.

Hanzo moves to follow him, only to pause as Sojiro looks up again sharply. "Hanzo. While Overwatch is with us, I believe it best for you to return to your room."

Of course. He ignores the curious look Ms. Amari shoots his father as he goes in the opposite direction as Jesse.

\---

Turning down a final hall before the royal wing where the older Shimada sleeps and works, Jesse hears a familiar voice sighing, deep and strained with exhaustion.

"You're the biggest idiot I know."

"Thats some high praise coming from you." Jack laughs, wincing as the movement pulls at the stitches along his side. Both men look up as Jesse pushes the thin door aside, almost diving at Gabriel before catching himself at the last second.

"Glad to see you two came back in one piece." He says with a grin at the older men before noticing the white patch on Jack's bare torso. "Well, more or less. What happened?"

"The idiot threw himself in front of me while I was being shot and then fell down a cliff."

Jesse would laugh if he wasn't so busy staring at Jack with his jaw slack. "You didn't."

"It was more of a steep hill, not a cliff." Jack defends. "And your shield was down!"

"If you called it out I would have dodged."

"But what if you didn't?"

"Then I'd be in bed under the influence of awesome drugs and our strike commander would have been up and about to lead the rest of the battle. Maybe less of our operatives would be out in those tents right now."

The room feels tense, the two strong willed men glaring at each other until Jesse clears his throat. He motions over to a grand painting of dragons along the side of the room and mimes an insect coming out of his ear with his hand. Both men look embarrassed for a moment before Gabriel clears his throat again.

"I appreciate it. Really. I just wish you hadn't gotten so hurt. You scared me."

"Imagine how I would have felt seeing you go down to one of those bastards."

The tense air remains, but it feels like something different now, something Jesse doesn't want to think too hard about.

\---

It's later that night when Gabriel finally pulls him out of the room for a walk in the gardens. A long row of tents take up a good portion of the green grounds, servants and a few familiar faces rush to and fro, taking care of some of the more injured Overwatch agents. Ana had stopped by earlier to tell them a few of their doctors would be flying over immediately to help with the more severe cases. Jack and the the uninjured agents would be returning to the Swiss base in a few days time.

Gabriel hadn't mentioned when he and by extension Jesse would be leaving.

"So when we first arrived, Mr. Shimada pulled me and Jack aside to mention you had been spending a lot of personal time with his eldest son. That you'd been courting him like some teenage girl with a crush."

Jesse glanced around, making sure they were alone before speaking freely. "I was just getting closer to him and Genji. Like you said to."

Gabriel scoffs, unconvinced, but lets it go. "I mentioned to Shimada that you were going to be going back to Switzerland with me and Jack at the end of summer. That you were going to start training to be an agent in September. He mentioned it might be good for Hanzo to finish his studies abroad."

Something in Jesse's gut flipped at the idea of Hanzo following him home, of being able to be around his boyfriend in a relaxed and happy space. From what he'd seen, Switzerland was pretty progressive. He had a few friends who had presented as Omegas and they went wherever they wanted. No one treated them like objects or kept as close an eye on them as Hanzo's family did to him.

More then being with Hanzo, he wanted Hanzo to feel free, to be able to go out and watch a film or go out to dinner without a bunch of guards following his every move. And maybe even be able to spend more time with Jesse without a constant entourage of chaperones.

"Do you think you could convince Hanzo to want to come with you?"

"Yes." Jesse breathes. "He'd love it. Heck, I'd love it!"

Gabriel stops where he is, putting a hand on Jesse's arm to pull him closer. "Jesse. He isn't your boyfriend. He's your mark. As soon as he's in the Watchpoint we can officially arrest him for the murder of Ogiwa Reo."

"Who?"

"Ogiwa Reo. The head of crime syndicate over in Tokyo for quite a while. He was murdered a few years ago after heading back to his heavily guarded apartment with a prostitute. He was found tortured and then strangled to death in his bed, with no trace of the prostitute. From the conversation you had with Genji, we're pretty confident this was that murder he mentioned Hanzo committed. Once he's in our custody we can run his DNA against the crime scene and prove it."

Jesse feels sick to his stomach but Gabriel just keeps talking.

"With Hanzo in jail, the family will fall into chaos. Sure on paper they have Genji, but you've already shown me the kid is a weak link. Hanzo is in the unique position of being the family's kingpin, at least it sounds like he is. If we take him out of the picture, the entire clan will fall apart."

Jesse doesn't say anything. If he opens his mouth, he'll ruin everything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With time running out before he's expected to return to Switzerland with Hanzo at his side in order to betray him, Jesse finds himself at his wits end. But when a day out with Genji goes wrong, he finds that protecting the Shimada brothers comes so much more naturally than betraying them. 
> 
> What's a boy in love to do?

Ever since the Overwatch strike team officially had moved into their yard, Genji was more then used to the array of strange scents in the building. The people of Overwatch came from all around the world but very few of them followed the practice he was used to, of covering your scent with perfumes and soaps. It was… barbaric to walk around smelling like a horny Alpha.

Honestly, he was almost jealous of Hanzo getting out of training while their guests were there, if just because he was going to stab the next smelly asshole who barged into the dojo while lost.

It was close to lunchtime when a new scent caught his attention. Sickly sweet but muted, similar to how his brother smelled every time he came back from school. The undertone was different though. More like sugar then flowers. Curious, Genji followed it through the main house, back out into the gardens and then down to one of the servant areas where a trio of guards were speaking in low tone to a small blonde woman in Overwatch blue.

His throat caught when he realized what he was looking at; three of his family’s guards cornering what must have been an omega Overwatch recruit, possibly someone who arrived with the doctors that morning.

Before he could step in to intervene the young woman lashed out, zapping the largest man with electricity. His body seized up and fell, distracting the other two enough for the woman to kick one in the balls and whack the last in the throat with what appeared to be a long staff. All three were in down in a matter of seconds, the woman stopping only to fix her hair before noticing Genji watching her. She looked surprised, then faded into a soft smile, raising her hand in greeting. “Hello!”

Genji lifted a hand before catching himself and mentally smacking himself. He leaned against the wall next to him, arms crossed and a lazy smile on his face as he looked her up and down. “That was something else. I’m Shimada, Genji... and you are?”

“Oh! Yes.” She stood tall, staff twisting to show the Overwatch insignia crafted into the glowing top bit. “Dr. Angela Ziegler. Overwatch field medic. These gentlemen offered to lead me to my patients but I fear they were attempting to mislead me.”

Genji smirks before looking down at the men. “I will ensure these men are dealt with, and lead you to your patients myself.” He holds his hand out to her but instead she brushes past him.

“It is no worry, mister Shimada. I will find one of my own people for assistance instead.”

He catches her arm. “I insist-“

A second later he has the pointy end of her staff at his throat, her eyes furious as she breaks free of his now loose grasp. “And I insist you go your own way.”

He puts his hands up in surrender. “Right! Yes! Okay. Hear you loud and clear, Doctor!”

She pulls away, stepping out of reach before smiling again. “I do hope you have a lovely day, Mister Shimada.”

He rubs at his neck despite the fact that at no point did her staff make contact, watching her walk away until she’s out of sight.

Damn.

In one move he’s out of the servants quarters, running for Jesse’s room and forgetting all about the unconscious men left behind. They’re someone else’s problem. He’s in love, dammit!

—-

Being caged in his room was nothing new for Hanzo. Since he could remember, guests staying over in the castle meant he would be confined to his rooms. When he was younger, he did not mind so much since his mother would often stay with him, or a nanny. When Genji was old enough to play, his younger brother would sneak into his room more often then nought (A habit he clearly never grew out of).

For the first time in his life, Hanzo felt his rooms truly were a cage. He’d grown accustomed to spending his days with Jesse, but Jesse was spending the day with his fathers before they flew back out to Switzerland. The rest of the team would fly out as they healed, and Hanzo and Jesse would leave together on the last flight.

Truly, it was like a dream come true. At any moment, Hanzo thought he might wake to learn the past month was nothing more than a fantasy. He did not want to leave Genji behind, and he wanted to return to Tokyo… but Jesse often told him how different Switzerland was. How no one would look down on him for being an Omega.

His father and mother had worked so hard to make him feel like his designation was a gift, not a curse. That omegas were smarter and more beautiful than everyone else, but he knew too well what the majority of the population really thought. Perhaps in Switzerland, he could be the person he’d always wished to be. Strong, confident, the ruler his clan needed him to become. In Switzerland he would learn, he would befriend politicians and members of Overwatch. He would help the Shimada Clan grow a new foothold in Europe.

Truly, he was buzzing. There was a kind of excitement just under his skin that brought a smile to his face.

A glance at the clock on the table showed him it was still early. Jesse was likely on his way to the airport with his fathers already. He could probably convince his father to let Jesse join them for dinner, and then perhaps spend some time with him before they were forced to separate again. He would ask Jesse more questions about Switzerland, maybe ask where he would be staying, if it would be in the city or somewhere closer to Jesse. Somewhere Jesse could sneak into to visit him late at night…

This? This was something he was going to allow himself to want.

—-

“But you don’t understand, Jesse! She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!”

Sitting alone in a bar with Genji was normally pretty high on Jesse’s list of things he enjoyed doing in Hanamura. It was right up there with dining with Hanzo and hanging out in the arcade. But he’d just finished saying goodbye to Gabe and Morrison and had been hoping to see Ana Amari before she left with the second plane.

So between missing Ana Amari, the guilt over his last conversation with Gabriel and missing Hanzo’s touch... the last thing he was in the mood for was listening to Genji bemoan his latest crush.

“Angie has that effect on a lot of people.”

“And her eyes! I’ve never seen anything so blue!”

“Yeah they’re pretty nice.”

“I bet she has a fantastic ass too.”

“I’ve seen better.”

Genji opens his mouth before stopping an turning a glare onto Jesse. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’ve seen better.”

“When did you see Angela’s ass?! You’d better not be cheating on my brother, Cowboy.”

Jesse just rolls his eyes, taking his next sip with exaggerated slowness to piss Genji off a little bit more. “First of all, I’d never cheat on Hanzo. Let’s just get that out of the way here and now.”Lie to, definitely. But cheat? Hell no.

“And secondly, _Doctor_ Angela Ziegler and I lived on the same base when she was doing her internship under Commander Morrison.”

“You mean your other dad?”

“When I’m talking about his work, he’s Commander Morrison.” Jesse shoots back, not having to fake the disdain in his voice. He’d tried talking to the blonde wonder about Gabe’s plan only to be shushed and ignored.

“My dad’s like that sometimes.” Genji says after a moment, staring into his drink. “You think he’d let me marry Angela if things go well with you and Hanzo?”

“Maybe.” Jesse lies. “But you’d never get that far. Doc’s only love is medicine.”

“Think I’d have a chance if I was one of her patients?”

“Try getting something rare or hard to cure. She might actually give you the time of day then.”

Genji thinks about that before he groans and drops his head back into his arms. “But she’s just so beautiful!”

“There’re a lot of beautiful people in the world, Genji. You’ll find someone else.”

“Right. Like you could just find someone new after my brother?” The younger Shimada teases with a grin.

Jesse feels his stomach drop. Genji’s joke was going to be his reality someday. Someday soon. “Nah.” He finds himself saying, voice surprisingly steady. “Doubt I’ll ever find someone else.”

Genji hums but ignores him, downing the rest of his drink. “Well this just got depressing. You hear that, cowboy? You depressed me.”

“You depressed yourself.”

“No. See, I just wanted to talk about the beautiful angel I met and have my best friend give me some advice.”

Before Jesse could retort, Genji slapped his hands down on the older boy’s shoulders. It hurt, but not enough to bruise.

“Enough! I am going to go pee. Buy me another drink?”

“I have no money!” Jesse calls back as Genji waves him off.

“Put it on my brother’s tab!”

Jesse grumbles his annoyance but waves the bartender down with his broken Japanese, managing to get another two drinks while he sits back and waits. Then he waits some more.

When a window shatters, Jesse is already on his feet.

—-

The bathroom is empty when Jesse gets there, the mirror shattered and one of Genji’s shoes have been thrown aside next to his phone.

Mentally, Jesse maps out of the area around the bar and jumps for the bathroom window, top part of his body making it out just in time to see the back door slam open and two men carrying a limp body out of the building.

The sound of his body hitting the ground alerts the men, one of them dropping Genji’s feet to scramble for his gun. Another opens the driver side door to shoot as Jesse runs for cover, ducking behind a corner, thankful that the newer buildings in the area were made from sturdier material than wood and paper.

He grabs his phone and calls the first number that comes to mind.

“Jesse? What-“

“Han, darling. I need ya to get some guards over to that bar we went to with Genji the other day. The one with the big scary pufferfish poster. We got a kidnapping in process and I ain’t got my gun on me!”

Hanzo’s voice goes from sweet to hard and cold from one breath to the next. “Acknowledged. Keep your phone on and I will track you if you move.” He speaks to someone else for a moment before returning to the phone. “Stay safe. Men are on their way.”

“They best be fast.”

A car engine roars and Jesse curses. Stuffing his phone in his chest pocket, he races out from his cover and tackles one of the kidnappers. Fortunately for Jesse, the other men don’t shoot, likely not trusting themselves to not hurt their associate.

Unfortunately for Jesse, the remaining two men dive into the car and begin to race off, narrowly missing the wrestling duo.

Finally Jesse manages to knock the man out and grabs his pistol as he runs for the edge of the alleyway. He scrambles out into the crowded street and spots the car making its escape.

He takes a breath.

Time stops, and colour fades from the world as Jesse’s vision focuses in on his targets.

He shoots.

The back tires pop out and the car goes careening to the side, stopping before it can hit anyone else.

Men in dark clothing come out of the crowd as one, taking the men out of the car by force, another helping Genji out of the back as he begins to regain consciousness.

Jesse fells his legs buckle as the headache hits. He can hear Hanzo’s sweet voice still coming from the phone in his pocket, and with a smile on his face, Jesse passes out.

—-

“Really, Angie. It’s not that bad.”

“Not bad, he says!” Angela repeats mockingly, dabbing at the small abrasion above his left eye. “You know how hard Deadeye is on your body!”

“Yeah, I do.” He bats her hand away as she goes for his face again. “Anyway, I had to. They’d’a got away if I hadn’t.” Her face scrunches in annoyance, but he puts a hand up to silence her. “Don’t. Even if I didn’t have to save him, I wanted to. He’s a friend.”

“A friend?” She raises an eyebrow, arms crossed and another thought on the tip of her tongue, but a quick glare from him silences her. Gabriel had told him Angela had been briefed on the situation and his cover, but he wasn’t sure how capable she was of keeping up with the lie.

“Yes, Angie. A friend. He’s a good kid.”

“I do not believe that.”

“You don’t have to.” He shoots back.

The shoji door to Jesse’s room flies open behind them, making Angela jump and go for the empty place on her hip where her little pistol normally sits. Jesse makes half a move to stand and protect her only to stop as Hanzo enters.

The shorter man barges right past Angela, hip checking her out of the way before grabbing onto Jesse’s face, pulling him every which way as he checks him for injuries. A low growl fills the space between them when he spots the abrasion above his eye.

“Why is this not bandaged yet?”

“He is not my only priority, Mister Shimada. I had other patients to attend to before him.”

“Then you should not have demanded to be the doctor to see him.”

“Would you prefer I have left him without a full neurological exam as your lack lustre excuse for medical professionals would have? I am the best doctor in this estate, young man, and I will not have my actions questioned by you or any of your awful, hormone fuelled men!”

The air in the room feels tense, Angela and Hanzo glaring at each other and Jesse stuck in the middle of it all. He’d heard jokes of omegas fighting, how the fights were even more brutal then those between alphas but he hadn’t believed it for a second. But these two looked like they were a single comment away from gauging each other’s eyes out.

Then much to his surprise, Hanzo laughs.

“You are the woman my brother has fallen in love with.”

Angela's eyes narrow but Jesse would swear he saw a twitch to her lips. “He has mentioned as much, yes.”

“I apologize for his behaviour.”

Angela softens, shoulders loosening as she shrugs. “It happens. There were many times I had to apologize for Jesse’s actions back on base. And I am not even related to him!”

“Yes. Jesse can be quite troublesome." Hanzo agrees. "More so when he and my brother are together.”

“Hey!” Jesse cries out, insulted, only to be promptly ignored.

“And I imagined having a mate would make him mature. Silly me.”

Jesse feels an uncomfortable jump in his chest when a light blush colours Hanzo’s face. “We are not... that, yet.”

“My mistake.” Angela smiles fondly, voice gentle. “Well, I suppose I shall return to my more well behaved patients.”

“Ah, yes!” Hanzo exclaims, pulling away from Jesse and bowing to her. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Ziegler.”

She downright beams at him, quickly returning his bow perfectly before leaving the room.

Jesse whistles, impressed. “Damn. You won over Angie real quick. Why- Oh hello.” Between one word and the next, Hanzo has crawled onto his lap, straddling his hips with a worried look on his face.

“I was afraid when I heard you had collapsed. No one told me if you had been shot or injured.”

“I’m fine, darling. Really.” Jesse assures him, leaning up to kiss him softly. “And I’ve been shot before. Kinda what makes my papi worry about me so much.”

“You are reckless, but you are a hero.” Hanzo points out, voice soft with something that sounds like reverence. “My brother would be dead or worse without your actions.”

“Aww shucks.” Jesse can feel himself turning red, putting his face down so he wouldn’t have to look at his lover. But Hanzo doesn’t let him escape, pulling his face up by the chin so he can kiss him on the lips.

“A hero, Jesse.” A kiss on his cheek. “My hero.” A kiss on his chin. “My love.” A kiss on his neck.

When Hanzo pushes him backward onto the bed, Jesse makes no move to stop him.

—

It’s late when Jesse feels himself stir back awake, the sky outside dark and cold, but its so warm under the covers with Hanzo by his side. Hanzo, naked next to him with his hair messy and loose, covers up to his chin as he uses Jesse’s chest as a pillow.

Jesse feels a giddy jolt in his chest at the sight. He could get used to this, waking up next to his lover every morning, holding Hanzo close every night. Nothing would make him happier then to be by his side every day, maybe raise a family together. It feels so easy.

But its not. There’s no way in heaven or hell for them to get their happy ever after, because Jesse is a coward. A coward and a liar and a murderer who was only out of jail because he signed his soul over to the devil instead.

But the devil wasn’t going to get Hanzo. Not if he could help it.

Numbly, Jesse sits up in bed, pulling Hanzo with him as the other man blinks awake. He looks beautiful like this, content and oh so trusting. Hanzo moves easily, leaning against Jesse’s body with a smile. “What is it, Jesse?”

“You can’t come to Switzerland with me.”

Hanzo blinks at him owlishly, contentment turning into confusion.

“My name’s Jesse McCree." He can feel Hanzo tense, but he isn't finished. "I’m a Blackwatch agent under my CO Gabriel Reyes. My job is to get information on your family and get you out of Japan where you’ll be arrested for some murder they got evidence of you committing. And when they have you, they’re goanna use you to bring down your whole clan.”

Hanzo hums before slowly moving off of the bed. He keeps his eyes low, but on Jesse, and it takes him a minute to realize why. Hanzo wasn’t turning his back on him.

In a few seconds, Hanzo has a robe around his shoulders, pulled tight to cover himself, and was out the door in only two steps.

When guards enter the room a moment later, Jesse already has his hands up in surrender.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the finale of the Cowboy of Hanamura, Jesse finds himself at the mercy of the Shimada family, Hanzo finds his confidence and sense of self shattered, and Genji... Genji has no idea what’s going on.

The first thing Gabriel notices when he wakes up is the sound of snoring. Familiar snoring.

Back in the SEP, the soldiers may have had their own rooms but Gabriel had grown up as one of seven kids, so he was never able to sleep in a quiet room. Snoring, mumbling, even sleep talk had been Gabriel’s background noise for ever. That said, no one snored like Jack... He was loud enough to shake the goddam walls.

Even at the start of the program when Jack was more Steve Rogers than Captain America, a camping expedition had shown the farm boy snored loud enough for people to threaten to kill him. Eventually he figured out sitting upright would stop him from making noise which helped while they were in the field.

Sitting up from his place on the couch, Gabriel takes a moment to stretch out the kinks in his back before looking over at Jack. The blonde lay sprawled out on his bed, the stack of pillows behind him having toppled over at some point, letting his monstrous snores free from their cage.

He didn’t look comfortable, the position undoubtedly having reopened the wound in his side. With a fond sigh, Gabe finally made the effort to stand and move over to Jack’s side. He stood back a foot, then cleared his throat.

As expected, Jack woke up immediately, flinching, then folding in on himself, left hand over his wound. “Oh fuck. What hit me?”

“Language, Morrison.”

“Fuck, shit, cunt, damn, motherfucker-“

Biting back a laugh, Gabe smothered his hands onto Jack’s mouth to shut him up. “No! Shit, is that where Jesse learned those words?”

“Jesse was in a gang.” Jack reminds him, “I think I actually learned a few new ones from him.”

“Don’t say things like that about our kid!”

Jack rolls his eyes, moving aside so Gabe could sit next to him on the bed. “You know you don’t have to keep that story up now? He and Shimada will be here soon enough, and from our last chat, I don’t think he’ll be too happy with either of us for a while.”

“It’s just puppy love.” Gabe points out. “Shimada is dangerous and pretty, of course the kid would be interested. He’ll get over it.”

“ **Commander Morrison. Commander Reyes. I have a call for you both from Agent Mercy. Status Alpha.”**

The comm startles the both of them, but not as badly as the AI’s message itself.

Gabe darts for the tablet nearby while Jack sits up in bed, bleeding wound momentarily ignored for something more serious. “Code Alpha? What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know.” Gabe launches himself next to Jack and unlocks the tablet. “ARTEMIS, secure the room.”

“ **Room secured.”**

“Answer the call.”

A 3D image popped up from the tablet almost immediately, Angela Ziegler’s grim face greeting them. Behind them, the men could see their still healing people being loaded onto gurneys and removed from the area.

“Commanders! Why is this happening?”

“Why is what happening? What’s going on?” Jack responds, wincing as he sits up straighter.

Gabe puts a hand on his arm to silence him. Angela’s shaking badly, skin a fair shade paler then what he’s used to seeing on her. “Angela, take a breath.”

She does, hiding her face in her hands for a moment before straightening. “Okay... Okay.”

“Now, start at the beginning. What is going on over there?”

“Shimada’s men woke me up an hour ago, telling me to pack my things. I argued but they gave me no answers! Then they began moving my patients, and told me you were evacuating us early. But I know you would not do that! Some of these men are still so injured...”

Gabe feels a chill go down his back, a feeling of dread settling into his gut. “Angie, have you seen Jesse anywhere during all this?”

“No.” She shakes her head, distracted for a moment when a patient being moved reaches for her.

“Angela-“

“I saw him last with Hanzo.” She finally tells him. “He was injured saving Genji from an attack, and after he was treated, I left them.”

She disappears after that, following after another patient, swearing in German and the call shuts off.

Gabe feels sick, numb, he barely notices as Jack starts shouting instructions to ARTEMIS, getting a pilot and plane to Japan to pick up their men, calling Ana, and finally forcing Gabe to look up to him.

“Hey. We’ll get him back, alright? No matter what, we don’t leave our own behind.”

“Yeah.” Gabe nods, already numb. He’d known Jesse was conflicted, and like a fool he’d left the boy alone in the lion’s den. “Yeah. Sure.”

—

Hanzo refuses to look up when he hears the first soft tap on his window. When the window softly slides open, he doesn’t even move from his lying down position on his futon, refusing to look up when Genji settles down in front of him.

“Hanzo?”

Hanzo flinches when his brother brushes a tear off his face, trying to sit up so he can move away, but Genji stops him. He doesn’t fight as Genji pulls him into a hug, just melting into his brother’s touch.

“I deserve this.”

“You do not.”

“You do not understand! I am a fool...” When Hanzo begins to sob anew, Genji says nothing. He stays until his brother has cried himself to sleep.

—-

Behind a hidden door in the gardens, down a long stairwell carved directly into the stone below the castle sits a row of cells where the clan’s prisoners are kept until they have outlived their usefulness.

Genji remembers his first time coming down the stairs, the first time Hanzo was ordered to take a life, and Genji had whined and cried until he had been allowed to go with him, not really understanding what was going to happen until his brother raised his sword.

In the years since then, Genji had gone down to the cells only twice. This would be the third and hopefully last time.

Ducking behind the guards was laughably easy, and picking the lock of the only closed door was child’s play (mostly because learning to pick locks had literally been a game he and Hanzo had played as children).

Jesse sat slumped in a corner, knees pulled up to his chest and arms hugging himself to ward off the cold. He was naked, and covered in purpling bruises.

Genji put a rock down in the doorway, keeping it open as he wandered in and pushed at Jesse with his foot. Jesse doesn’t react, and for a moment Genji wonders if he’s already dead.

But then Jesse groans and Genji kicks him a little bit harder. “Hey. Wake up.”

Jesse does, albeit dazed and a bit groggy. He squints up at Genji, confused. “Genji? What’re you doing here?”

“Before I skin you alive for what you did to my brother, I am going to ask you some questions.”

To his surprise, Jesse just nods, stretching himself out and scratching at a scab on his thigh. “Yeah. Yeah that’s fair.”

“It certainly is.”

Genji backs off, pulling a knife out of his back pocket and playing with it as he settles down smoothly into a cross legged sitting position.

“So where do you want me to start?”

“At the beginning.” Genji decides. “Who are you? Really.”’

“Jesse James McCree. I’m just some punk with a gun and good aim. Commander Reyes picked me up out of a gang when I was a kid.”

Genji nods. “Is that what you were doing here? Working for him?”

Jesse opens his mouth before closing it again. “Dunno if I can tell you that.”

“You do not have a choice in that. If I need to, I will not hesitate to hurt you.”

For a moment, Jesse just stares at him. “Yeah... I believe you.” He leans his head back on the stone wall behind him and for a long moment neither of them say anything.

Genji breaks the silence. “Did you ever love my brother?”

“With my whole heart.” Jesse confesses, voice breaking. “Like I never knew I could. That’s why I did it. Why I told him everything. I couldn’t hurt him like that.”

“But you did hurt him.”

“I know I did.” Jesse whispers, wiping his face with his arm. “But at least he ain’t goanna live out the rest of his life in a jail cell.”

Thinking up to the castle above, and the conversations his brother was undoubtedly having with the elders right now. He wasn’t so sure Jesse was right.

—-

The dojo is quiet when Hanzo finally makes his way out to it. His sword in his hand, he slowly and smoothly goes through his katas, mind going numb as he focuses on the movements of his body.

“ _An embarrassment to the clan.”_

He stretches his arms out, as if reaching to an enemy, letting the elder’s words wash over him.

“ _What else could we have expected from an omega?”_

A miss step caused him to pause and reset himself. The dojo was warm, almost stiflingly so, but Hanzo refused to stop for a drink of water. He couldn’t.

“ _A disappointment.”_

He refused to be weak.

“ _Sojiro, we told you Hanzo would never be more than his biology.”_

His father hadn’t stood up for him. Hadn’t even looked at him as they decided his fate, discussing him as if he was nothing more than an item to be bartered. Perhaps it was best that was all he was. Obviously he couldn’t be trusted to make decisions for the clan if he couldn’t even make proper decisions for himself.

“Brother.”

Genji’s voice startles him, but he doesn’t stop his kata, arms heavy and tired, feet slipping on the mats below. Hanzo only stops when he feels Genji come up behind him, too close for comfort.

“What do you want?” He feels Genji flinch at the tone in his voice, ignoring the small desire to apologize. “Can’t you see I am busy?”

“I take it the meeting didn’t go so well?”

Hanzo doesn’t respond, electing to ignore his brother as he finishes his routine, bowing at his imaginary opponent.

Genji keeps silent until Hanzo has picked up his items and has begun to leave.

“I spoke with Jesse.”

Hanzo rounds on him. “What? How- no, why would you-“ He stops himself, looking around for an audience and thankfully finding no one. He darts into Genji’s personal space immediately. “You fool! What if someone had seen you?”

“Hah. No one sees me unless I want to be seen, brother.”

“You are not as sneaky as you think you are.” Hanzo shoots back. “Never go to the cells again! Things are dangerous enough now. I do not think even our father could stop the elders from ordering you punished if it were known you spoke with a prisoner.”

“Well, we’re going to have to sneak it again if you’re going to go talk with him.”

This time, Hanzo does step back, looking at his brother in surprise before scowling. “I will not. I have no desire to hear more of his lies.”

“Brother, please.” Genji pleads. “I think you need to speak to him. He didn’t mean to hurt you!”

“And yet he did.” Hanzo declares, voice even. “Let the agent die for all I care.”

“ _We can only hope you decisions will at the very least lead to a more suitable heir. It is the least you can do.”_

“You don’t mean that.” Genji points out. “Hanzo. If he’d meant to hurt you, he would have kept quiet. He would have allowed you to go with him and be arrested.”

Hanzo stills at that. “He... I’m sure he had his reasons.”

“If we go see him you can find out what his reasons were.” Genji points out, closing the distance between them carefully. “Brother-“

Hanzo cuts him off with a raised hand. “Whatever his reasons, it does not change the fact that he betrayed us. Genji, he betrayed me. And I will not forgive him. With any fortune, the elders will see fit to allow me to regain my honour by disposing of him myself.”

He escapes before Genji can find his voice again.

—-

With no access to the outside world, Jesse has no idea how much time had passed. He’s been tortured nearly constantly, his tormentors only rarely asking him questions. Most of them he can’t answer, some he responds to with sarcasm and slurs. They threatened to cut his tongue off but hadn’t yet.

They hadn’t killed him yet either, but he doubted he was more use to them alive than dead. He’d learned that much from his work in Blackwatch. If they were planning on exchanging him as a hostage, they would have been careful to at least keep his face pretty.

The bruise around his left eye and the blood in his mouth told him he was probably going to die down here. And without even having the chance to apologize to Hanzo or Gabriel.

Genji had mentioned the rest of Overwatch had been kicked out of the country, so at the very least his stupidity hadn’t cost any innocents their freedom. He was especially glad Ziegler would be okay. She was always cleaning up his messes when they were on jobs together. At least this time he’d managed to keep her out of it.

Still, it would have been nice to at least see her one last time. She and Hanzo would have made for good friends in time. They were both so smart and so refined. Maybe it was an omega thing?

Except Reyes wasn’t like that. Smart, yes. Vengeful. Jesse hoped Reyes wouldn’t do anything to avenge him. He was just another soldier. Sure Reyes cared about him, but that’s just because he was young. Reyes would find another right hand soldier soon enough. Hopefully someone who could complete missions without his heart getting in the way.

And hopefully Blackwatch left Hanzo alone.

Oh, Hanzo.

God, what he’d give to see Hanzo again.

He doesn’t react when the heavy door to the cell begins to slide open. It isn’t meal time, he doesn’t think, so its either another visitor wanting information of another guard come to give him a beating.

“Hey, Cowbae.”

Or it’s Genji again.

Jesse squints up at the younger man, trying to ignore the pounding in his head the movement causes. “Fuck, you came back.”

“Of course I did!” Genji smiles, twirling a set of keys around his index finger. “I’ve decided to break you out.”

Of all the things Jesse was expecting, this was no where on that list. “... What.”

“I’m breaking you out.” Genji repeats, already working on unlocking his handcuffs. Jesse winces when his broken skin is revealed to the air, but doesn’t pull away, letting Genji massage the feeling back into his hands. He doesn’t notice Genji has a bag with him until he pulls a set of dark clothing out of it. “Hurry up, get dressed.”

“... Why?”

Genji gives him a surprised look before physically helping him put the pair of trousers on. “That’s a dumb question. Because I want to.”

“Genji, you could get in real trouble for this.”

“It will be worse if you stay here. Believe me.”

Jesse doesn’t, but he’s not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. With Genji’s help he gets the clothing on. Once he’s dressed, Genji gives him a bottle of water and some sort of sweet pastry, both of which Jesse devours. It makes him feel a bit sick, but at least his arms have stopped trembling by the time he finishes.

Genji looks him up and down before offering him a hand to stand. “Are you ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

With a nod Genji leads him out of the cell, and Jesse doesn’t look back.

—-

They make it as far as the central garden, keeping behind bushes and under bridged pathways before a loud cry echoes from far behind.

Jesse grimaces. “Guess one of your men woke up.”

Genji swears at his words, pulling at his hair nervously. “I should have hit them harder but I didn’t want to kill anyone. They are good men.”

“I hate to disagree with ya.”

“It is fine. This does not change the plan. We must simply move with more care. Be silent and follow me.”

Jesse does his best, he really does, but Genji is a freaking ninja, and more then once he loses the younger man altogether in the brush, only to find him again just as he’s beginning to panic.

Finally, finally they reach the outer wall around the estate and Genji breaths a sigh of relief. The voices of the guards searching the grounds for Jesse sounded far away, tension making the night sky eerily quiet otherwise.

Even Genji’s voice sounds too loud. “I will go up first, make sure we are clear on the far side before helping you up. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.” Jesse assures him, voice sounding far more confident than he was feeling.

With a single jump, Genji has the wall scaled, and Jesse is alone in the silence. He glances around, recognizing the area around him for the first time. They were close to Hanzo’s archery area, close to Hanzo and Genji’s rooms.

If only he could sneak up to Hanzo’s room, apologize to him before escaping, tell him why he lied. But that was suicide, and it wasn’t only his life on the line anymore. No doubt someone knew Genji was helping him escape, and if he went back to Hanzo then Genji’s actions would be for nothing.

... Not that it wasn’t tempting anyway.

A harsh whisper gets his attention. “Jesse.”

Turning back to the wall, Jesse sees Genji’s head peeking out at him. “Come on!”

With effort, Jesse stands and lifts his hands up for Genji to grab-

Only for an arrow to lodge itself in the wall between them. Genji jumps up and Jesse spins around, stomach churning at the sensation only to become light as air when he sees Hanzo standing there in all his glory, dressed like a prince with his hair messed from sleep and dark circles around his eyes.

He looks beautiful.

“Hanzo.” Jesse sighs, a smile on his face, unfazed by the murderous expression on his lover’s face. “God, it’s so good to see you.”

He takes a step forward only to stop as Hanzo raises his bow at him once more. “Do not move.”

Jesse lifts his hands, keeping them where Hanzo can see and stands his ground. “Han...”

“Do not.” Hanzo growls, arms strong and body still as a statue. “You are a liar and a traitor and you will stay silent.”

God that hurts.

“Anija.” Genji whispers, landing on the ground next to Jesse. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard the alarm from my room.” Hanzo growls at him. “I knew it had to be you, and I thought you might use this route.”

“Ah.” Genji sighs, unbothered. “I have grown predictable.”

Hanzo’s brow furrows in frustration, his bow dropping as he turns to his brother. “How can you act as if this is nothing? Genji, you are betraying our family!”

“Our family are a pack of monsters!” Genji retorts, hands clenched into fists. “Hanzo, how can you not see them for what they are? We are criminals! Father sells people, omegas like you! We cheat and we kill, and we torture. How can you still act as if you are proud to be one of them?”

“Because unlike you, I am proud to be a dragon. Proud of my strength.” Hanzo says, voice dangerously calm as he turns his glare onto Jesse. “And I will not feel shame for killing someone who lied in order to arrest me and tear my family apart.”

This time, Jesse ignores the warning in Hanzo’s eyes, stepping toward him with his hands still raised. “Han, I’m sorry. I know it don’t mean much now, but I am. I lied to ya, I know I did. But I never lied about loving you. It’s why I couldn’t complete the mission. I couldn’t stand the idea of you being in a cell, or hurting. So I told you the truth, cause I’d rather be the one rotting in a cell then you. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t have to do anything!”

“Oh sure, when someone tells you the truth you don’t have to do anything. But if the elders tell you to bleed for them you jump to follow orders! Did they tell you that killing Jesse would regain your honour? As if your honour was ever lost in the first place!”

“I HAVE lost my honour, Genji! Because of this traitor, I have lost my autonomy! I am nothing now!”

“I would rather be nothing then a slave to the elders!”

Soon enough, the brothers’ raised voices were going to catch someone attention, and then they’d all be in trouble. And once again, Jesse was tired of others suffering for him.

He steps up to Hanzo’s bow, blocking Genji from him, and grabbing Hanzo’s arrow, pressing the tip to his throat. It’s enough to shock the brothers into silence, Hanzo staring at Jesse in surprise. “Han, if killing me will bring you any relief or happiness, then do it. But please, let Genji go. He’s the one who helped me realize just how bad I’d hurt you, just how much I love you. He begged me to protect ya, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

“You cannot protect me.” Hanzo whispers, voice breaking, and god does it hurt Jesse’s chest to see him in so much pain. “I am nothing. Worthless. I have brought nothing but shame to my family.”

“You ain’t worthless, darling. You’re gorgeous, and you’re so smart. You don’t need your damn family, especially if this is how they treat ya.”

Hanzo says nothing, but he does drop his bow, face scrunched as he looks down at his feet, defeated.

Jesse just wants to pull him into his arms.

Instead, Genji breaks the silence. “Anija, come with us.”

That gets Hanzo’s attention. “So that I can be jailed by Overwatch? I think not.”

“Please. Jesse told the guards everything they had on you.” Genji scoffs. “You know father already made any evidence they think they had worthless.”

“He’s right.” Jesse says, feeling hope for the first time in a while. “Hell, if you give them information willingly, they’d probably roll out a red carpet for you!”

Hanzo looks insulted. “I will not!”

From the house behind, voices cry out, growing louder and pulling Hanzo’s attention away. He looks fearful before turning back to Jesse and Genji. “Go! You must leave now if you are to escape!”

Genji doesn’t need to be told twice, scrambling up the wall in seconds, but Jesse doesn’t move.

“I ain’t going without you.”

“Jesse” Hanzo whispers, exasperated. “You are a fool!”

“You make me a fool.” He whispers back, grabbing Hanzo’s hand. “And I’ll die a fool a hundred times over before I let you go back to that rat’s nest.”

Hanzo’s face scrunches in confusion, but Jesse doesn’t let him retort.

“Please, Hanzo. Please. Just come with us. Be free.”

Having noticed no one was behind him, Genji pops his head back over the wall, leaning low to keep out of sight. “The guards will be here any second. Jesse! We have to leave!”

Hanzo tries to pull his hand free but Jesse holds fast, locking eyes with Hanzo.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

Hanzo looks back at the house, then at Jesse once more.

Jesse’s voice cracks. “Please, darling. Please.”

—

When the guards do their search through the archery range and the gardens surrounding it they find a practice bow and half filled quiver lying by the exterior wall, but nothing else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who put up with the long breaks between chapters, and I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> The sequel, The Dragon’s Cage will be up sometime Febuary since I’m nearly finished with my latest script commision and actually have time to write for fun (yay!)
> 
> (Dragon’s Cage will be rated R and therefor will be posted as a separate story rather than just a continuation of this one as it is it’s own standalone story taking place a few months after this one).


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